Intricate Kingdoms
by That-Cheeky-Bat
Summary: Aster finds himself having to deal with his Princely duties within a Kingdom that disdains him while juggling the threat of war looming on the horizon with the Southern Kingdom. As if those troubles weren't enough the appearance of the annoying and tantalizing Jack Frost stirs up something in Aster he had been longing for, but will the threat of war divide two destined souls?
1. Prologue

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

However! I do own this bloody plot and this damn world along with a few well thought out ideas.

**A/N:** Why hello all you lovely people, welcome to Intricate Kingdoms. Some things you'll want to note before you read the Prologue below:

1) The world is divided into North, South, East, West Kingdoms with the Middle being called Tribes due to more tribal based lifestyles compared to the more medieval/advanced Kingdoms. It is the Earth but at the same time it is _not _our Earth as we know it. I will flush this out as the story goes on.

2) The Eclunar Crystals essentially rule each area noted above, even the Tribes. If the balance of the crystal within a Kingdom is upset then it turns that Kingdom into a wasteland till a rightful King appears- which can take anywhere from mere days, months or even centuries.

3) There is technology in this world, but there are limits depending on what Kingdom/Tribe you are in. For example North's Kingdom has basic cars and electric lights—but there aren't cell phones yet-but the Tribes barely have running water. More to come on this as well as the story continues. This is an adventure after all, things have to be explored!

4) Bunny _is _a Pooka in this story, but can shape shift. I will flesh him out a little more and hopefully explain him efficiently within the first Chapter.

5) This is going to turn into a Romance between Bunny and Jack, if that isn't your forte then run now! Run for the hills before you get stuck too! Also it's going to escalate quickly so strap yourself in lol.

One thing I need from you, the viewers: How long would you like each Chapter? Currently going on 5K words for the first Chapter, hopefully that's a good number for you guys ^_^ It's fitting for me because it allows for ample description and still allows me plenty of space to work with. Waiting on a Dream is a bit hard with a 3K word limit hehe.

Special thanks to my editor who encouraged this story one day and _very_ special thanks to **Shanatic** for giving me the A-OK for this story after reading the Prologue below and then she got a sneak peek at the first Chapter ;)

Got it? Good. Onto the Prologue with ya then! Also note: This is when Bunny is 11 years old, still a kid...thus the reason it's a Prologue :)

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Prologue: The Kingdoms

North had been surprised when Lillian, a flame from his younger days who had slipped through his fingers, had arrived from the docks a month ago after Pitch had finally found her—and her son. She had been on the run for months when the letter she had sent him finally arrived in his hands and it had taken sending his advisor, a trained soldier and tracker himself, to find her and escort her to safety personally before the members of her late Husband's Tribe could catch her and kill her. The Tribe was fearful of something, that much he understood, he just hadn't known what it was at the time. Now, though…now he understood. The reason for their fear currently sat right in front of him.

Lillian's son, E. Aster Bunnymund, looked so small in comparison to North's large desk and chair. He _barely_ even took up a quarter of the chair and his clothes were still a tad too baggy for his thin frame. Of course if the boy actually _ate_ it would help to fill his clothes out a little better, but he had his reasons for not eating. He was worried about his mother; sick with the Bleak Cold from the Southern Kingdom Pitch had retrieved them from when North had finally received Lillian's letter and had sent the man to retrieve them both. Bunny, a nickname he had told North to call him by since it was his mother's favorite name for him, looked so small and insignificant when he had first arrived. He was literally a walking body of malnutrition, skin and bones, and North had to admit he was worried that the boy had caught the Bleak Cold as well—only to find out it was just a minor cold from the chill of the Southern Kingdom.

North, when he'd first met Bunny, hadn't seen _why_ his Tribe was trying to hunt him down and kill him. Initially North had thought they were trying to kill him because of his mixed heritage, the child of an outsider from the Pole Kingdom and their late Tribe leader Orab Bunnymund. However North had been informed by Lillian that Bunny stood a chance of turning into one of the Tribe's Pooka warriors, beings that were supposed to be Bunny's Tribe protectors and warriors whenever it needed them, but because of the introduction of chocolate from the Northern Kingdom the Tribe had turned sour towards their Pooka warriors and began to commit mass genocide—seemingly at random. Anyone within the tribe that showed signs of being a warrior was killed, no questions asked, and nobody had a clue as to why. Not even North could get the Tribe Elders to answer his request for information regarding why they were hunting these beings down.

It was lucky that North had received Lillian's letter when he did, and luck continued to guide their path as Pitch had found the two somewhat easily within the Southern Kingdom after shortly arriving within its walls—Lillian having taken off from the Tribe when she had heard the cries from the opposing shacks that acted as their homes. She had taken a _long_ drawn out path to escape the Tribal hunters who had been hot on her heels all the way up to the Eastern Kingdom, hunting down Orab's son with a perseverance that spoke volumes for their version of a Kingdom. She had dragged Aster from his home in the center of the Tribal lands, the place with the most vegetation and warmer climate, to the Western Kingdom, followed by a ship to the Eastern Kingdom and ending with their final route looping back into the Southern Kingdom where they met up with Pitch when he found them and Lillian finally let the Bleak grip itself into her bones when she realized her Bunny was finally safe.

She was recovering these days, but only with the help of North's longtime friend Sandy from the Eastern Kingdom. Sandy was the middle child of Sebastian Mansnoozie and a Doctor who was both mechanically and magically inclined while specializing in severe cases of the Bleak Cold. He had arrived not a day after North had summoned him, eager to see if he could help North's intended wife and had done exactly as North had hoped: He had worked magic and now Lillian was recovering at a fairly healthy pace, even if the Bleak was going to forever be in her bones until they found, if there was one, a cure. Until then, though, North had ensured Lillian that even if she did pass by some odd chance that her Bunny was safe in his Kingdom, and to ensure that North had claimed him the Prince of the Kingdom—even without the Eclunar Crystal recognizing him, but then again North had a feeling it would eventually name him his heir anyways. He felt it in his belly—and it was _never _wrong.

As North gazed down at the boy who was sitting erect and looking uncomfortable in the amount of clothes he currently wore. He was wearing a pressed deep red colored tunic shirt with a high neck that halted at the middle of his throat, pressed black pants and on his feet was a pair of black polished shoes. Apparently Bunny had never worn actual _clothes_ before. He had spent the first three days in the Kingdom running around 'nude' to them in nothing more than a pair of boxers that he swore were nothing more than flimsy 'shorts' and in his Tribe mindset that was _overdressed_. It had nearly caused North to die of laughter as Pitch had tried, with desperation, to get the boy to dress properly for the first few weeks as he adjusted to the Kingdom's standards of 'dress code'. The image of Pitch chasing around a nude Bunny would forever cause a smile to break across his face. Currently Bunny was fully clothed, but North knew the moment he let the boy go that he was going to run to his room, strip down to his knickers and then dash to the Hospital ward to sit with his mother. Sandy, luckily, never seemed to mind the boy's 'nudity'.

North cleared his throat, watching as Bunny jumped in his overly large chair and looked meekly up at him. He could see that the boy was still slightly wary around him and it made his heart tighten sadly. He _wanted_ this boy to feel like he could talk to him about anything, wanted him to realize that he was his son now and he _definitely_ wanted Bunny to know that he was going to be loved in the Kingdom—eventually. Until he could get Bunny to understand this, and he knew it would take longer than a month, then he'd continue to treat the boy with respect as if he had always been the Prince. North grabbed up the thick book on his desk and sat it in front of Bunny, tapping his index finger on the cover and glancing to him with his piercing blue eyes as they met the large Spring grass in sunlight green eyes of Bunny.

"What's in this book?" He asked, wondering if the boy had even _begun_ to read…let alone if he even could.

"That's the book that outlines all the Kingdoms." He replied easily enough, his accent odd to North's ears. It sounded like some strange branched off, colonized, version of Pitch's clipped and enunciated accent—but held more of a rugged edge to it. "Ya told me ta read it and Ah've been doin' it like ya told me too."

North cocked a curious brow. "So you know how to read?"

North hadn't meant to make it sound so demeaning, but it seemed as if Bunny hadn't minded and had picked up on the curious tone North's voice held. Bunny sat forward slightly in his seat and nodded. He reached a small, tanned, hand forward and after flicking North's finger off of the cover of the book with two quick motions of his hand he opened the first page and began to recite what he read there.

"The Eclunar Crystals, keepers of the North, South, East, West Kingdoms and Middle Tribes." He began, glancing up at North briefly before North simply nodded and waved for him to continue. "These Crystals are the guidance of the Crown, picking and choosing Kings, and sometimes Queens, that are best fit fer the throne of that Kingdom. Each generation of the Crown requires the Crystals ta pick and choose the heir fer that Kingdom, the heir usually providing a much needed service fer the Kingdom at the time that it picks the King." Bunny cleared his throat. "Guided by the Crystals of the Moon each Kingdom has a recognized King that will provide his service ta the Kingdom, which can be seen in the crystal's color that—should the King be providing his rightful service—is milky and clouded. If the crystal is eclipsed and dark the King has turned his back on his Kingdom and the crystal has rejected the King and the Kingdom until a new, rightful, King is recognized." Bunny glanced up to North, blinked twice before he then said, "That's what's happenin' down at the Southern Kingdom, innit? That bloody place was freezin' cold!"

North chuckled at the boy. "Yes, actually, that is what is happening. Nobody can get into the Castle there to figure out what is happening to the Crystal within the throne room."

"Mum says that ya were picked by the Northern Crystal here, even though ya were from the Pole Kingdom like her." Bunny stated, beginning to twitch from having been seated for longer than ten minutes.

"I was. At eighteen I was chosen as the King for the Northern Kingdom." North nodded, grinning to Bunny. "Tell me, if you were chosen next how would you react?"

Bunny made a face. "Ah can't see mahself being picked, Ah'm considered a 'beast' up 'ere." North's brows rose in surprise as Bunny said that. He hadn't a clue how self aware the boy was until _that_ moment. "But, Ah suppose if Ah got picked…well Ah guess there would be a particular reason fer that choice then. Ah don't think yer Kingdom would like it, though."

North chuckled, shaking his head. "Dah, I don't think they would be pleased with it either." North then leaned to the right a bit and smirked. "But they cannot contradict the Crystal, just as we can't."

Bunny nodded, flipping the page and gazing at it before he turned the next page. It went on like this for a moment before North gripped the front cover of the book and flipped it closed. North placed both hands on the desk and he loomed over Bunny, making him shrink back with wide eyes. North smiled down at him.

"How about a quick quiz?" North asked. "I ask you Kingdom and you give me name of King chosen for that Kingdom, their known attributes and then you tell me if we are at peace or war with them."

Bunny gulped. "Okay."

North nodded, pushing back from the desk and straightening. "If you get them all right then I will let you out early today and you can skip Pitch's table etiquette by hiding with your mother."

Bunny's eyes widened with glee and he sat forward. North wanted to laugh as Bunny sat erect again and his young face took on such a stern and serious face that North _knew_ he'd be able to handle the Kingdom with ease should he ever need too, even if they _didn't_ particularly like the 'savage' Prince.

"Northern Kingdom, please." North stated, pushing back from the desk and beginning to pace around it. He watched as Aster's head nodded absently as he began to tick off thoughts in his head. "Bunny, out loud please."

"Ah, right." Bunny chuckled and North froze for a moment from hearing the boy _laugh_ for once. He blinked, rechecked his memory as he heard an echoing of the laugh and then smiled warmly as he realized that the boy might _finally_ be loosening up around him. "The Northern Kingdom is ruled by ya, Nicholas St. North of the Arctic Crown. Out of the five outlaying Kingdoms ya were chosen by the Eclunar Crystal ta rule as the North's King until yer time of passing. The crystal chose ya because of yer ability ta see wonder through the world, even in the darkest of times and that wonder is reflected through yer Kingdom. Yer Kingdom is known for their inventions, the varying four seasonal climates and yer region's ability ta grow a variety of food types within small borders. Currently ya are _not _at war with anyone, but the Southern Kingdom is currently a force ta which ya are considerin' going ta war with in order ta help the People under the Crown there."

North nodded, feeling an absurd amount of pride in how put together that entire answer was. Bunny was surprisingly intelligent for someone so young and North wondered if Lillian was serious when she said that the Middle Tribes weren't as dumb as people believed them to be.

"The West Kingdom?" North asked, laughing when Bunny's nose scrunched in distaste and disgust.

"But those are all sheilas…" He murmured and North found himself sniggering at Bunny's immature outlook on the Western Kingdom. Finally Bunny sucked in a sharp breath. "The Western Kingdom is ruled by a multitude of sisters, but specifically ruled by Queen Tina Bloodfeather of the Western Crown. Out of the eight outlaying Kingdoms she was chosen by the Eclunar Crystal ta rule as the West's Queen until her time of passing. The crystal chose her because of her ability ta collect and activate various memories from past historical events within their large library that sits high in the sky. Her Kingdom is known for their knowledge, Amazonian like tendencies and their fierce flying female soldiers. The West is always the second into a willing war if any knowledge or memories that could be lost is at stake." Bunny glanced up to North. "Innit that where ya got Toothiana from?"

North nodded. "Lillian and I wanted a sibling for you my boy and since your mother is unable to carry we sought the knowledge of the Western Kingdom, who gave us the help we needed."

"That why she came from an egg?" Bunny shook his head. "Ya know that's strange, don't ya?"

North chuckled. "But you like her, right?"

Bunny's eyes glittered for a moment before he blushed. "Yea…Ah s'ppose…"

North grinned. Bunny had been inseparable from his mother's side at the moment because she had Tooth near her twenty four hours a day and Bunny would never admit out loud how much he enjoyed his little sister's cooing and gurgling laughter. However North happened to know Tooth got her nickname because she kept tugging at Bunny's teeth whenever he smiled. The girl seemed to hone in on the things and she had actually pulled one of his loose teeth out by accident.

"Bunny, the East Kingdom please." North stated.

"Dr. Mansnoozie is from there, innit he?" Bunny asked, tilting his head and nodding when North did. "Ah thought so. The Eastern Kingdom is ruled by Sebastian Franco Mansnoozie of the Eastern Crown. Out of the three large outlaying Kingdoms there he was chosen by the Eclunar Crystal ta rule as the East's King until his time of passing. The crystal chose him because of his ability ta bring forth restful peace ta innocents during darker times, often times offering his Kingdom as neutral territory when war looms on the horizon for any Kingdom. His Kingdom is known for their languid lifestyle, restful hot springs and warm deserts. They are _rarely_ at war with anyone, instead choosing to offer their Kingdom as a refuge for warring Kingdom's innocents."

North once again smiled towards the boy. "_Very_ good Bunny. You are impressive when it comes to how much knowledge you have acquired in such short time."

Bunny beamed, his position going erect again as pride shot across his features. "Thank ya. Ah've been comin' in here a lot ta read." Bunny's pride dipped as he ran an absent finger over the book in front of him. "Readin's been helpin' me ta take mah mind off everythin'."

North's heart clenched as he sighed, figuring he might as well get the next part of the quiz over with now, though it saddened him to bring it up—especially since the wound was still fresh and he felt as if he was rubbing sand on it. "Bunny…The Middle Kingdom please."

Bunny's head dipped and North heard him suck in a breath between his teeth. "The Middle Kingdom is ruled by a cluster of Tribal Elders, but most notable of them was Orad Bunnymund...my father." North's heart lurched at the utter sorrow that cracked Bunny's voice. He watched as Bunny sucked in a sharp breath to collect himself again and then continued. "Out of all the Elders in the outlaying Tribes the Eclunar Crystal chose mah father ta rule as the Middle's 'King' until his time of passing. The crystal chose him because of his connection ta our Earth and how he was able ta manipulate the vegetation and heal ailing individuals. Now, with the passing of mah father, the Eclunar crystal has chosen his brother, Burnum Adoni, who is known fer being a fierce warrior. The middle Tribes are best known fer their exotic vegetation, expansive meat selection and vast fields and meadows durin' the rain season ta which their herds graze. The Tribes are _constantly_ at war with one another and _rarely_ seek outside help or involve others in their civil wars."

North was hesitant in placing his hand on Bunny's shoulder. He wasn't sure if the boy would flinch or not still from his touch, but he settled with placing a gentle hand on the boy's shoulder and giving it a light squeeze of comfort. Bunny, surprisingly, lifted a hand and gave his large hand a brief squeeze in return, even if his hand only managed to give a single digit a squeeze.

"Good. Let's see," North lifted his hand and began to pace, "we covered the North, our home. Then we covered the East, Sandy's home. From there we went West to Tooth's home, even though she _is_ your sibling. We then went to the Middle Tribes." North halted and turned to Bunny. "The South, please."

"That's that cold place…Ah hated that place." Bunny murmured before he said, "The Southern Kingdom is ruled by Krampus Frost of the Southern Crown. Out of the two Kingdoms within that territory Frost had been chosen by the Eclunar Crystal ta rule as the Southern King originally until his time of passing, but of late the crystal has since abandoned its King. The crystal had chosen him because of his ability ta refresh the South and clear the path fer its bi-seasonal changes, but he has stopped his work and had let the Blizzards overtake the Kingdom. His Kingdom was known fer their lavishly made ice structures and sculptures, parties, Elementalists and their various fun games. Today the Kingdom is bleak, the inhabitants losing themselves in the harsh Blizzard that has not let up in twenty years while their Elementalists have all since died off or lost their magic. Yer about ta go ta war with them in order ta remove the current King forcefully since he refuses ta step down."

North nodded. "I am so proud of you Bunny." He then tilted his head to the door that lead out of his private study that doubled as his office. "Now if I were you I would run now before Pitch comes."

Bunny's eyes widened and he nodded furiously, his hands shooting for the constricting throat of his tunic and beginning to untie the elegant knot that acted as a button there as he sprinted to the door with a quick speed. North chuckled as Bunny slipped out the door and barely closed it before Pitch came sauntering into the room, asking where Bunny was. North guffawed with laughter when Pitch began his shouting for Bunny through the hallways of the Mansion that acted as their Castle.

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So! Whaddya think so far? Like it? Yey, nay, meh, _get on with it_? Let me know lovelies! If I don't get any reviews I'll consider it a bust and yank it. No reviews = not continuing this story...which would make me sad because I spent so long thinking this damn thing up lol.


	2. Chapter 1 - The Lecherous Prince

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

However! I do own this bloody plot and this damn world along with a few well thought out ideas.

**Warning**: Thar be adult situations below - If you are _not_ comfortable with these subjects then I'd suggest not reading this story haha.

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**Summary**: What makes a Prince? How does he go about his business during the day in a Kingdom that is wary of their Prince? But most of all, why does Prince Aster have a less than admirable reputation within the walls of the Castle?

Chapter 1: The Lecherous Prince

It was the day before his birthday and Aster wanted to get ahead on his duties so that he could wander off to do his own thing tomorrow instead of having to sit in this cramped room. His gaze went about the room in question. The walls were painted a crimson red with white paneling on the bottom half. The flooring was carpeted with swirling shapes in a deep green, yellow and red. The ceiling was something the architect for this particular room had called a cove ceiling and painted a bright white in color. Two lavish chandeliers that aligned themselves with the long table that was fifteen feet long with many plush chairs surrounding it brightened the room and offset the shadows of the room, giving it a wider and opened look to it. Along the left side of this room as well sat six windows, each of them about five feet long with heavy drapes adorning them that would effectively block out the sun. At the opposing side of the back wall behind Aster were four columns, two on the right and two on the left with a door that sat between the two pairs of columns. The opposite wall in front of him, instead of a door, held an oil painting of North when he had been younger.

This was the room where meetings took place. It was also the room that had slowly became the bane of Aster's existence. As Aster sat there listening to the Council members of the city outside of North's Castle, which was just a large and lavishly adorned Mansion, he let his gaze wander the many seats of the room and how they were filled with seemingly the _same_ individual. Each of them had an air about them that Aster had turned into an art. They held themselves with a regal air, dressed lavishly in the best silks and cloths with the most adornments to them and each of them had a personality that made Aster want to _yawn_.

They were boring. They were predictable. They wanted _him_ to marry one of their daughters, which was always what these meetings melted down too in the end. It always began the same. Talking about the City, ensuring everything was running smoothly and then it would shift from that to pleasantries and melt right back into the same thing every time.

"Prince Aster, is there any signs of a possible suitor?" Sir William asked from opposite Aster.

Aster snapped back into the meeting, adjusting his seating in the chair and giving the man a pleasant smile. "Not at the moment, Sir William. But Ah can assure ya Ah'm searchin'."

Except he wasn't. Nobody had held his interest of late and there was only _one_ Princess that even garnered his attention enough to earn his respect and not be compared to some of the ingrates that were part of this Council. Aster turned slightly in his seat, watching as his young sister Tooth flitted by outside, hovering by their mother with care for her morning walks around the Mansion. To be honest Aster would've rather been out there with them. He liked the fresh air, _loved_ the green grass and relished in the freedom that was the outside over the cramped, claustrophobic room he currently sat in with people who could only be comparable to buzzards.

He had to be honest if attending these meetings weren't part of his duties he'd never show up to them. Of course if he really had to point the finger at someone when it came to blaming his boredom on _somebody_ then he'd direct that finger towards North, his step father and King of the Northern Kingdom which housed the Eclunar crystal and was the central Kingdom to the Northern five Kingdoms. But North, in what felt like a pressured decision to Aster, had chosen him as his temporary heir until the Crystal picked a rightful King if anything happened to North. The crystal had recognized North's plea, flickering briefly on Aster's 18th birthday when North announced it within the Kingdom.

Of course the Council had not been thrilled with that. Nobody in the Kingdom wanted the 'beastly' Prince running the Kingdom as King. It was bad enough he was taking part as Prince. But what the Council failed to realize was that Aster's temporary position as stand in King only created a shaky bridge that would appease the crystal until the rightful King arrived. Essentially, it didn't mean much at the moment, it just meant that if North happened to kick the bucket early then the Kingdom wouldn't plunge into desolation right off the bat—but of course it didn't guarantee it either.

North cleared his throat, garnering Aster's attention and standing when the Council stood to leave the room. They shook each member's hands, adding a bow to the three individuals who warranted it—the guild members who ran the food court, tailor and craft guild. These men were the three key components to making the Kingdom run smoothly, then there was also the last and final man of the Kingdom, Manny, who worked as the Notary. He was the one you went too for everything related to life—wills, accounting, tax payments, and he even provided for certain arrangements.

North closed the door, turning and clapping Aster on the shoulder while giving him a quick shake. His piercing blue gaze directed itself on Manny who cleared his throat, raised a brow and then grinned after peering over the thin framed octangular glasses. Aster didn't necessarily like Manny, nor did he really hate him. He was carefully neutral, and for good cause. He had his hands in a few shady businesses that Aster didn't agree with—but many would find that hard to believe with his current reputation around the Kingdom. Mainly, for all the innocent and pleasant looks of Manny, there was a side to him that only a few people saw and Aster was one of those unlucky few.

"Well, Prince Aster, I see my latest find didn't please you." Manny stated looking to Aster with those hazy gray eyes that gleamed brightly.

"I apologize, Mr. Lunar, but I didn't find her enthralling at all." Aster stated, speaking of the latest Council member's daughter from beyond the borders of the North. "She wasn't…interesting enough."

Actually she had slapped him the second he mentioned getting anywhere near her knickers, but he wasn't going to voice that. He desperately tried to keep the smirk from rising on his lips as he thought about how he had used every trick in the book to irritate and insult the Council member's daughter. She had a stick so far up her own arse that Aster had the most fun he'd ever had when it came to ruffling her feathers. He had also noticed that he had an instinctual dislike of her and it seemed to be returned from her as well. They just hadn't matched and the more he had forced the courting the tenser it became to the point where he'd just had enough and decided a slap to the cheek was much better than having to put up with her incessant talking and the growing tension between them.

Manny frowned almost absently, his thick dusty brows knitting together in the center of his forehead as he pursed his lips and began to flip through the papers in front of him. Aster watched Manny, the older gentleman having a pleasant, circular face that reminded him of Sandy. His hair was combed back from his face, salt and pepper in color and wearing a heavy white open robe over a bright blue long sleeved shirt and a pair of black pressed pants. On his feet were a pair of thick boots that had scuff marks on them from trekking everywhere in the City. Aster tilted his head as Manny flicked his gaze up to Aster, narrowed his eyes and then shrugged.

"I will keep an eye out for anyone better Prince Aster. I apologize my last pick had not turned out to your liking." Manny explained, sounding genuinely disappointed.

North sighed, nodding and shaking Manny's hand after Aster had. "Keep eye out Manny, we need to find him suitor that he can settle with. I _know_ Crystal wants him for next King, I can feel it—in my belly." With that North grabbed his stomach and shook it, making Aster snort out in disbelief that made North turn a quick glare towards Aster, "Aster you _need_ to settle. I know is fun being bachelor, but with reputation you have set within Kingdom you will not be taken seriously until you show that you are ready to settle—"

"Enough, Da." Aster cut his hand through the air as Manny took his leave. "Ah'm _well_ aware of mah reputation in the Kingdom and Ah couldn't care less. Let's get on with this meeting; Ah'd like ta get today over with."

"As you will." North sighed out in exasperation. With that Pitch came in, holding about six maps and stepping through the door and laying out each of the maps. "Pitch, how is the Kingdom?"

Aster gazed warily towards Pitch. He was the man who had made _damn_ sure he could at least act prim and proper while in meetings. As he had said, 'If you can't _be_ the Prince, then at least _pretend_ to be one.' It had been good advice and Aster had managed to turn it into something where he should have been _paid_ to act.

Pitch stood only a foot taller than Aster and seemed to always impersonate a shadow. His hair was pitch black, combed back from his forehead and exposing a deep set widow's peak that added to the sharpness of his face. Each facial feature of the man was sharp and angular, giving his face a sinister look and he had a personality to match if you happened to cross him. He had bright glittering gray eyes that looked silver in any light, a golden ring around the pupil that gave the man an eerie and predatory look. He stood tall, six foot three, with long limbs paired with a lithe body that didn't _look_ strong but was deadly with a sword and his personalized scythe. He had served for close to thirty years now as North's advisor, having been promoted from Captain of the army—yet still claiming the title of Captain since he hadn't trusted anyone else for the role yet—to advisor. Pitch finished laying out the maps, layered over each other in business order, straightening and placing his hands behind his back, setting the right over the left and leaving it resting on an upturned palm. Aster looked at his attire, a high necked shape hugging tunic adorned with ribbons, buttons and tassels that spoke _volumes_ for the amount of battles he had taken place in while at the same time awarding him for various things he had done for the benefit of the City. On his long legs were a pair of pressed black pants and a pair of thickly soled, yet light, boots on his feet.

"King North, Prince Aster," He stated leaning forward and placing both palms on the table before lifting his right hand and pointing to the map of the Southern Kingdom, "as you both know we are nearing possible war with the Southern Kingdom. As it _stands_, King Krampus refuses to adhere to our countless appeals for access into his Kingdom—has since Prince Aster was eleven. As it stands the Sentries are as diligent as always when it comes to defending the borders of the Kingdom. If we try entry through here," Pitch indicated the very tail end of the Kingdom—the most Southern location, "we may stand a chance."

"That's suicidal." Aster murmured. Then he cleared his throat and spoke clearly: "It's freezin' in that bloody Kingdom, Ah remember. It's too cold in that Kingdom and if we even _try_ ta go in through there we'd never make it. Ah'd rather just fight through the sentinels."

Pitch glanced up to Aster and turned the map over after. From there he went through another four maps before Aster and North both had shot down all of Pitch's ideas when it came to entry into the Southern Kingdom. It was nearly impossible; at least that was what Aster believed. The Kingdom was too cold, held too many innocents who would pay further for the price of war over a stubborn King that refused to step down from his throne. Aster didn't want to go to war—but the man was leaving them no choice.

"How goes the search for a suitor Prince Aster?" Pitch asked as North turned to leave when the meeting adjourned.

"Same as usual." Aster replied shortly, turning and following North from the room, wanting to avoid any further hedging of _that_ particular subject.

"The day you find a suitor is the day this Kingdom celebrates the taming of the Kingdom's 'beastly' Prince!" Pitch shouted at him, knowing it would annoy him.

Aster ground his teeth as he headed for the _next_ annoying part of his duties: public appearances. Aster climbed into the mechanical vehicle when he reached the gate surrounding the Castle and closed the door behind him, waving for the driver to start forward. He dragged himself through the tedious task of presenting a few awards to some of the festival winners of early Spring followed by the public appearance at a new store. He shook hands with countless, nameless people. The Kingdom was thriving, he was doing his civil duty and everything was peaceful.

He _should_ have been happy, but as he watched each person he saw their features scrunch in distaste towards him. He knew why they looked at him like that. They'd heard the rumors, knew that under all the clean and proper, charismatic façade, that there was a beast under it. He was a being that, should he be forced too, would fight to the death to protect a Kingdom that didn't even like him. It was built into him, that warrior mentality, but where normally it would've been focused on the Tribe he came from he found that it instead chose to focus on this very Kingdom.

So he danced his Princely dance, did his sworn duties and ignored most of the disgusted looks that sat just below each person's eyes as they laid them on him. There were a few individuals in the City that actually liked him, were willing to be friendly towards him, but for the most part the City was full of strangers to Aster. People he was willing to die to protect because his _other_ side told him too.

Aster was a Prince and tended to act that way when faced with meetings, royal duties and carrying himself with that Royal air when amongst other Kingdoms. He acted charismatic when needed—even though he was regularly grumpy and short tempered, posed as a strong individual—even though he was desperately clawing at the edge of that strength, he made deadlines—even if they _were_ only made because of frequent all nighters, and most of all he was a force to be reckoned with—one of his few _good_ attributes was his natural intelligence, which had got him out of more than one mess in his life.

He was a superb acting Prince despite the distaste that was mounted around him and usually carried out his duties with an air of perfection about them and ensured that when he had something to say he was heard. But to anyone within the Castle of the Northern Kingdom he was everything _but _the traits listed above.

As Aster stepped from the vehicle later that night, finishing up his Royal duties for that day he spotted a new face among the maids. He stepped up to her to introduce himself, as he usually did with and new staff member just so they knew who he was—even if they did already. It was supposed to be a pleasantry, a hand extended in welcome, but for some reason it sometimes twisted into something else.

Aster lived up to his nickname very well within the Kingdom as he grew older, his previous nickname turning into yet another once he hit sixteen and the added pressures of growing responsibilities making it harder and harder to cope with daily life _along_ with the constant ridicule from being a Tribe member who was only a Prince because his 'whore of a mother' weaseled her way into the Crown as North's Queen. He was often called a 'beast' when he was young or the King's 'wild-child', but ever since he had hit puberty he'd been living up to those nicknames through and through.

He was a rough and tumble kind of Prince who only acted stoic and Princely when he was in meetings or gatherings. He was trained in martial arts and weapons—having been given an enchanted pair of Boomerangs on his sixteenth birthday by North's good friend from the Eastern Northern Kingdom and tended to favor them. He had served his time in the Kingdom's army, as all good men should have by his age. He liked hiking more than hunting, getting dirty and fighting for no other reason than to start up a good old fashioned bar brawl. However when he wasn't locked away in the many conference rooms of the Castle or busy causing havoc in the Kingdom's streets with his ranger-like tendencies as he disappeared for _days _on end at times then he was either locked away in his magically warded off Warren just outside the walls of North's Castle—which was just an overly large and elaborate Mansion—or he was right where he currently was.

And boy he _loved _this.

He worked the woman with his tongue expertly, years of picking off many a maid or reckless Princess who fell to his animal magnetism making him nearly an expert on all things sexual. It was why he relished being right between the legs of some new sheila he happened across that worked in the mansion as a maid, getting his rocks off and having a blast while doing it—his Princely duties tossed to the wind in the throes of a good old fashioned, pleasure filled, romp.

_This_ was what sometimes happened when his pleasant greeting twisted into something else. He didn't have an explanation for it, all he did know was that certain individuals tended to buckle to him—almost as if they sensed something about him that turned them into submissive beings. He didn't have an explanation to it, nor did he really care. It always felt _so_ good and he _loved_ bringing his partner of the time pleasure.

"Prince Aster!" The woman yelled breathily, wringing her hands in his faux hawk styled blueish/gray hair and panting heavily as he brought her to orgasm by just his tongue. She collapsed back with a guttural groan of pleasure and Aster smiled devilishly up at her, licking his lips. "My Lord that was…"

Aster chuckled as the woman fanned herself with her hand unable to finish the sentence due to how fast her breathing was. He swore he liked this part the best, looking down at the one he had just brought to orgasm and _loving_ how satisfied they looked with their flushed cheeks and lust glazed eyes. That look of unadulterated pleasured high of the orgasm rang through him, his animal half shooting to life as it recognized a satisfied partner in both looks _and_ that heady, sweat and pheromone mixed scent that permeated the area after a release. It caused his groin to tighten and he reached a hand over to the right where he'd tucked away a condom, which was nothing more than some latex concoction that Sandy had came up with when they all realized Aster had an unnaturally high libido and was going to get into trouble because of it, and he ripped it open. He rolled it onto his erection and gripped the maid's thighs, yanking her ass to the edge of the bed and making her gasp in excitement before he positioned himself at her entrance and pushed in.

He gulped, shuddering in ecstasy as he felt her warmth surround him and he huffed out a heavy breath in the beginnings of a pant. _Fuck_ did it feel _good_. The maid below him writhed, her hips arching off the bed as he slowly pulled out before thrusting back in when he had nearly removed himself, her legs wrapping around his waist and squeezing in encouragement as she moaned. He shivered, slowly rocking his hips forward and beginning to pick up his pace as a sweat began to break out all over him, the scent of the woman's pleasure that seemed to ebb off her in waves making his animal side shoot to the front briefly as he gave her an especially hard thrust, making her cry out and nearly scream as he hit something that caused that _delicious_ sounding cry. He licked his lips again and continued hitting that spot, making her bite her lower lip in an attempt to mute her cries as her hands clawed in the bed sheets for purchase and her face twisted into a mask of pleasure.

"Pri—Prince—Hah!—" She tried, Aster _loving_ how he affected women as he brought them pleasure. Her form jolted suddenly and she shouted, "There!"

Aster adjusted his hips when she shouted that and thrust forward quickly; making her cry out so loudly his sensitive ears actually rang after. He chuckled, panting out breath after breath as he worked that spot and drove into her aiming head on for that spot with unforgiving force and making the woman clench around him as another orgasm shook her core minutes later.

He cried out shortly after, thrusting twice more as his own orgasm shot through his system from feeling her clench around him and seemingly causing that tensed coiling sensation in his lower abdomen to snap before he slumped forward. He pressed his sweat covered chest to hers, sliding his hands up along her waist and giving her small breasts one last appreciative squeeze before he nipped at her jaw, followed by him licking along it like a cat—which was when she put a hand onto his chest and pushed him back—harshly.

He frowned at her when he recovered from stumbling back from that shove. He was about to clean her up for fuck's sake, why was she pushing him off? Also, why was she sending him those deathly glares after he had satisfied her, not only once, but _twice_! He stepped back up to her, having been removed from her when she'd pushed him back and stopped when she sat up and reached for her uniform.

"You need to leave now _Prince_ Aster." She stated simply.

"What, ya don't want ta cuddle? Ah thought yer type was _all_ about the cuddling." Aster shot back snidely, seeing rejection and his animal side bristling and taking offense to the blatant rejection as the air went from pheromone laced sweetness to an angry sour scent that marked her distaste towards him. "Ah mean ya _are _after all the _help_. Yer supposed ta _heed_ ta yer Prince's needs."

"I just did, now get out." The maid stated, standing and walking to her bathroom, slamming the door closed and ending any further arguments.

Aster growled out angrily and removed the condom, tossing it into the maid's trash bin as he tugged on his boxers. He followed those with his pressed black dress pants and then followed that with his tunic with a high neck, not bothering with tying the knots that always felt like they were choking him these days. He stepped from the room after picking up his polished black shoes and checked the hallway before he stepped out into it, straightening his shoulders and stepping through the hallway briskly towards his room in the dawning eve of the evening. He opened his bedroom door and stepped through it, tossing his shoes aside and stripping off his clothes and tossing them into the clothing hamper. He stepped into his bathroom and looked at his sex mussed hair and grinned briefly before he felt absolutely disgusted with himself as what he had just done sank in, reality setting in once again.

He wondered when the day would come when someone _finally_ let him be his odd, strange, self. Sure his lays seemed to like how he revved them up with foreplay before he brought them to their first—sometimes one of many—orgasms, but none of them seemed to want to stay for anything after soon as he appeased himself as well. He didn't _want_ to cut and run, he wanted to cuddle, lick clean with unabashed care and ensure that his shag for that session was sated, happy and unhurt. As it was he _never_ got to satisfy that primal need to care after a good session of sex and it left him _severely_ unsatisfied. No, instead he was stuck with partners who found his quirks too strange and they were often times all too _ashamed_ with the knowledge that they had slept with _him_, the Tribe member, the Kingdom's 'beast'.

He was different than everyone else in North's Kingdom that much he knew—always had. What he hadn't expected was how those outlooks would affect him as he grew up. Where everyone else in North's Kingdom was pale with usually dark hair and eyes he was tanned with bright green eyes and odd, grayish/blue hair—features that marked him as Tribe. Where everyone in the North was mostly sticks when it came to physical features, some newer fad where being thin was seen as a good thing, Aster was flushed out with muscles that coiled and rippled with every movement, speaking _volumes_ to his strength. He also had what amounted to be a permanent X on his forehead when it came to marking him as outsider…that and he'd gone and added to that mark on his forehead, furthering his distance with his faux pas.

Aster turned to the double headed shower and turned it on, glancing to the full length mirror to his right next to his shower and letting his eyes roam over his runner's build that had slouched forward shoulders on a solidly build chest. His waist was thin; his hips as well and those hips led to a powerful looking set of muscular and toned legs with big feet. He glimpsed his tattoos, sitting where his markings were in his Pooka form were: on his forehead—that one having been the initial X that had just magically shown up overnight followed by him shifting forms at fifteen—followed by him having his Tribe elders tattooing more onto the sternum of his chest, along his forearms, biceps, shoulders, thighs and a small marking at his tailbone to match the markings on his tail. He turned his gaze from the sight, proud of his markings yet knowing they made him completely alone.

It took so much charisma and persuasion to get most of the women he slept with to ignore the marks that adorned his skin in sharply edged patterns. Only one so far had been willing to touch the tattoo on his forehead, and he respected her too much to sleep with _that_ particular Princess. But he had remembered how good it had felt when he met her at sixteen, feeling her fingers trace the petal-shaped, sharply edged marking on his forehead that seemed to sprout from the junction between his brows and branch off into three leaves. Two sat just above his eyebrows, flaring outwards and ending just short of his eyebrows while the third sprung upward towards his hairline and halted just centimeters from it. _She _had called it beautiful; _she_ was also completely and totally off limits because he couldn't stand the idea of hurting her if they happened to fail—especially since his other half had the final say in _who_ he mated with permanently, and it wasn't interested in her—at all.

He showered and changed into nothing more than a pair of cotton pajama pants, shirking the royal pajamas that were a pair of silky—Hunter green in their color for him—pants paired with a button up top with a low set neckline and the North Kingdom's crest over the right breast, a simple 'G' that could be traced all the way back to the beginnings of time to the first ever King who was seen as a Guardian and paved the path for many other Kings to follow.

He rolled onto his side and hated that the damn maids made his bed every morning. He'd much rather they just leave it as it had been—a messy nest. He growled irritably when he failed to find a comfortable spot and shifted to his Pooka form, a giant six foot one rabbit-man shape with foot long rabbit ears and a bushy triangular shaped tail, and set away to pawing at the bed while using care to keep from tearing the cloth with his sharp claws and eventually nuzzled his way onto his bed that had a clustering of pillows, blankets and sheets all strategically mussed in just the right ways. He ground his teeth together in a purr as he rubbed his head along his sheets, effectively chinning it in the process, and marking the area as his. After this hour long charade he finally settled in to try to sleep, wearing the cotton pajamas over his lower half simply because he could stand them while in this form unlike that _damn_ royal pajama set. _These _were especially made for this form, _those_ were made for his Human shape—the form that had become a stranger to him, even if it _was_ his original shape.

He sucked in a deep breath to relax at first before he rolled around a few more times finding the best spot. He gave a short whimper that echoed his anguish when it came to the unsatisfied, basic to him, primal need to care for his partner. He sighed, intent to wait with baited breaths for the day that he stumbled upon the person that would accept him for what he was and he'd be _damned_ if he let his Mate slip through his fingers when he found them. He'd been waiting for that particular being to show up for close to ten years now, his mother having told him that he'd know his Mate the second he ran into them. Not only would he recognize his mate through their tantalizing scent but they'd in turn actually _react_ to his presence. He rolled onto his other side and huffed out another breath, stirring from that lulling pre-sleeping state and snapping awake. He glared at the pillow next to him in the darkness.

This was ridiculous.

He growled angrily again and spent the next three hours struggling to find the right spot, pushing his thoughts of his Mate away and bottling up the worry that followed that particular train of thought. He shook his head, believing that he wasn't going to get a Mate. He was already twenty five, at least now he was seeing as it was his birthday—the 20th day of the month called April—and he was supposed to have already found his Mate by this point. He was eight years into the bleak thing he called his life while he remained Mate-less. Aside from his royal duties to the Crown, he rarely spent time making friends with the people of the Kingdom—let alone did he talk to them unless they requested something he could handle in place of North. He knew he wasn't liked even if they did show him the proper respect that he would reciprocate, and he was just fine with that fact, but it still bothered him how alone he felt and how his less than admirable actions were all based around that fact. He was an unmated buck, causing a racket because he didn't have an outlet for all the care and love he was capable of giving— nor did he have other bucks to play-wrestle with to appease some of his high energy. So instead he turned to training himself, starting up brawls, running through the streets unabashedly and spending more time alone in his Warren or hiking through the wooded area of the Kingdom—all of which was done painstakingly alone.

Aster huffed, pushing up from the bed and looking at the dawning light outside his window. It was his birthday, he was now horny again from thinking about all the things he could do for his Mate and he had just been spurned from the newest maid's bedroom—which meant he once again didn't have an outlet for all his primal needs that seemed to intensify while he was in his Pooka shape, which felt oddly natural these days.

He flopped backwards onto the bed and lifted his hips, wriggling from the cotton pajamas just enough to reach himself. He had done this countless times before when he didn't have any other way of appeasing his needs. He knew a good ear rubbing at the base with one pawed hand trailing downward followed by him taking himself in a sure grasp as he unsheathed himself was a good way to _start_ this particularly demeaning habit of his. His toes curled as he began to work himself, rubbing one of his ears at the base and feeling that rush of hormones and thumping his foot out while he grit his teeth to keep from crying out. In the breaking day of his birthday morning Aster climaxed, unable to kick how unsatisfying that orgasm felt without a partner there to relish it with.

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Responses:

**chaosmoonstar**: Thanks! More is coming I assure you.

**Kayla**: You stalk me don't you, not that I mind ;) Jack's coming in next Chapter. I also see you're already a thinkin' about this story's plot haha. Also yes I did get Krampus from the opposite from Santa. Thanks for showing more interest in another story of mine haha.

**Guest** (Hrmm...Delilah?): I love that you really reallly liked it and the meekly added (please), made me giggle.

**Shanatic**: It was classy as fuck. Spot on review. All you needed was a bowl cap and a German accent haha.

**FReeTOBeMe1311**: There _are_ cute moments to this story, but it'll be walking a fine line between cute/adventure/humor and it'll have a heady dashing of romance.

**yey**: Oh hai daire! I'm definitely aiming for the 5K-6K mark per Chapter. Its a good, solid chunk and fits well for my style. Also it had damn well better be well thought out, spent just as long thinking about it as I had with Manny's XD

**crazylife1231**: Awww, thanks ^_^

End note: Eh? Like how that Chapter got turned on its head? Fun, innit ;D As always let me know if I goofed and mixed words up (dyslexia) or just generally messed something up. Till next time folks!


	3. Chapter 2 - The Chase!

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

However! I do own this bloody plot and this damn world along with a few well thought out ideas.

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Chapter 2: The Chase!

**Summary**: When did getting his mother and sister's clothes turn into viewing Manny in the town square talking to a dirty bum? Why does this bum look so strikingly familiar? But most importantly, _why_ did that bum have to _run_ and _why_ did he have to ignite the thrill of the chase and awaken instincts that drive Aster insane?

Aster felt his equilibrium be thrown off, followed by the feeling of the bed under his side slipping in a fashion similar to mud as it began to slip and filter out from under his side. He groggily woke up, felt gravity push its heavy hand on the center of his chest and then he yelped as he landed on his furry tailed ass on the nest of jumbled sheets, pillows and then he was suddenly covered with a mattress as well. Aster growled angrily like an animal, rolling onto all fours and then quickly kicking out his strong back hind legs. The mattress crashed into the wall, knocking the drapes from their locations with clatters as the rods they hung on hit the hardwood floor and making the window shudder dangerously as it attempted to buckle. Aster shot to his hind feet the second they hit the floor after that powerful kick, the claws extended dangerously as his hackles rose on end while he snarled towards whoever had done that to him.

His anger only simmered slightly when he saw North standing in his room, thick as tree trunk arms crossed across his barrel chest and pitting a glimmering with humor gaze on him. Aster snarled again, short and clipped to let North know that he hadn't appreciated that particular wake up, and then shifted to his Human form. He ran his hand through his hair, mussing it further than it had been from what little sleep he had managed last night in combination with him having headed to bed with wet hair, and then yawned—loudly and widely.

"North, ya hoon, what was that fer?" He asked, stretching quickly followed by him rubbing his neck and then twisting it this way and that.

"First, Happy Birthday and congratulations on being first twenty five year old bachelor who has seat on throne." North stated. "Second, your mother and sister require dresses to be picked up from Tailor and both wish to see you before you leave."

Aster snapped awake with that. Was…was that an actual invitation for him to freely go into the City without having to take any precautionary steps to sneak out or have the ever annoying cloud of duties over his head? _He_ got to go walk around the Kingdom to get clothes for his sister and mother, no strings attached? He thrilled at that aspect, usually having to bribe some of the staff in order to wander the streets freely or jumping from his window and making a fool of himself as he climbed down from the height. He blinked his wide eyes towards North who shrugged and smirked, stepping past and giving his shoulder a light squeeze as he walked by.

"Dress quickly and come to bedroom. Your mother wishes to speak with you and Tooth has request." North stated, his boots thumping on the hardwood floor followed by the doors of Aster's bedroom closing silently.

Aster's heart soared with joy. He rushed into his bathroom and brushed his teeth, taking a brief shower after and then wrapped a towel around his waist and headed across his room to his walk in closet where he picked out his favorite pair of cargo pants, a muted green long sleeved shirt with the crest on the right breast and then he tugged on his favorite pair of hiking boots without socks on. He went back to his bathroom and combed his hands through his mussed hair, choosing to let it stick how it wanted after giving it _his_ version of a combing and noticing that the center always managed to spike up as he liked it. He then walked from the bedroom and nearly crashed into the maid who he had slept with last night.

She glared at him and he bristled when she pushed past without even a 'Good morning'. He ground his teeth, shaking off that want to approach her again and instead set his mind to the goal ahead—getting _out_ of the damn Castle where he could go run free until a designated time. He walked briskly through the hallways, ignoring how the staff generally avoided him or chose to suddenly look busy as he passed—all of them doing nothing more than nodding their heads in a quick bow to acknowledge his presence while he smelled their fear prevalent in the air.

He pushed it aside and knocked gently on the bedroom door that North and his mother shared. He heard Tooth's light feet hit the floor and then the door was retched open and suddenly Aster had an armful of Tooth. She stood on her toes to hug him, wrapping her arms around his neck and tugging her feet from the ground as she laughed happily. Aster returned the hug—ever careful of her wings—and carried her into the room, swinging her in a sharp circle and laughing before he set her back on her feet. He then watched as her feet lifted from the ground and a consistent humming sounded through the room as she flitted off, quick as a Hummingbird, back to the bed where she settled back on the other side of their mother and curled into her side. Aster rolled his eyes when he saw that they were both watching the latest soap opera on the TV, their eyes glued to it as they watched it in the lulling morning.

Aster glanced around the bedroom. Lavishly furnished, larger than even his own and holding _many_ more bits of clutter to it than his—but the thing that always made him stop was the woven with thread portrait of his father that hung on the wall. Aster had always thought it was weird that North allowed his mother to hang it in their bedroom, but North considered it an honor to have one of the strongest Tribe leaders in the world adorning his wall—that and it made it easier for Aster's mother to light the elegant candles below it on the day his father had been born. Aster sucked in a sharp breath and nodded his head towards the image, feeling its dark gaze on his back as he stepped further into the room and grabbed up a chair. He settled it next to the bed, his mother's hand reaching out and clapping his leg briefly before she turned to him when a commercial came on.

"Bunny, Happy Birthday." She stated, her bright green eyes that he had adopted from her glittering. "Did North tell you what I wanted you in here for?"

He shrugged. "Somethin' about pickin' up some bloody clothes fer ya slackers." He chuckled when his mother frowned towards him and slapped his knee playfully. "He said ya wanted me ta go ta the tailor's and pick up yer dresses fer tonight."

His mother nodded and she turned to Tooth, beckoning for something. Aster sat forward in his seat to gaze at his mother. She was looking better, he had to admit, but then again she'd always been fairly good at hiding her ailments. Her hair today was already combed and held back in a long elegant braid, her brown hair gleaming with a healthy hue. Her diamond shaped face had filled out a little from her recently managing to gain some weight. Her eyebrows were rounded and plucked in just the right way to give her eyes a pleasant look about them. Her eyes were always left bare of makeup; naturally thick lashes surrounded her bright green eyes and made makeup nothing more than a nuisance for her. Her nose was buttoned, much like Aster's, and paired with two plump lips that always had a scarlet colored lip stain on them that never seemed to come off. On her thin frame was her usually thick, velvet in feeling, dress that hung loose and had a flowing skirt. He noticed that her gold belt, four inch saucer discs all connected by small chains, laid discarded on the edge of the bed. He blinked and looked back at his mother as she turned to him and held out a leather pouch.

His brows knit together and he frowned, holding his hand out for the pouch and showing his surprise when he felt how heavy it was. He then raised a brow towards the two troublesome women in his life and tilted his head to the side.

"Why are ya handin' me a pouch of gold coins?" He asked, tossing the pouch in his hand and hearing it clink as the coins within were disrupted and banged against each other.

"It's payment for the dresses and I gave a little extra for you just in case you find something you like—oh and Tooth would like a pastry." His mother stated, letting out an exhale of agitation. "I _would_ go out and find something myself for you but North and Sandy insist on bed rest until tonight, and even _then_ they want me to stay seated aside from maybe a single dance."

Aster smirked. It was in moments like this that he realized he picked up a few traits from his mother—mainly that irritability that went hand in hand with sitting still for too long. It was why his mother took as long as possible when her daily morning walks came about, she wanted to stay on her feet and active for as long as possible before she had to face the tedious devil known as _boredom_ from being unable to move thanks to the Bleak's continuous attack on her body. Aster sighed, standing and leaning forward to give his mother a chaste kiss to her forehead.

"Don't worry about it mum, Ah'll take care of mahself." He stated, touched that she still cared even though he was _technically _an adult by this point in his life. He then leaned forward and purposefully ruffled Tooth's hair, causing her to squawk indignantly and then yell at him for mussing her perfectly styled hair. "That's fer jabbin' yer bloody hands in mah mouth again yesterday mornin'."

Tooth huffed, turning her head away and _acting_ as if she was pist at him, but then he saw that brief curling of her lips and saw her shoulders shake as she silently laughed. His mother smacked him in the chest lightly and shooed him from the room, both women turning their eyes back to the TV as North stood in front of a mirror, chuckling to himself as he pulled on a more casual outfit until tonight.

Aster nearly skipped from the Castle when he exited it, stopping and sucking in a sharp, crisp and cool, breath of Spring air and feeling himself be revitalized for the first time in ages. He walked along the cobblestone path towards the gates, waving and shaking his head in a 'no' when the driver pushed from his vehicle in an attempt to get into the car he drove. Aster headed for the pedestrian entrance and exit of the castle wall and stepped out onto the street, intent to walk and enjoy it.

On the other side of the City a cloaked figure stepped out onto the cobblestoned path. He glanced about, unsure which direction he was supposed to go. He had been told to find a Castle, steal anything pertaining to the Crown and bring it back to his 'family' in the Southern Kingdom. He wasn't entirely sure if he was in a Kingdom yet, let alone did he know where the Castle for this City even was. In fact he jumped and yelped loudly when a honk sounded out behind him when he had wandered into the street in an absentminded attempt to find a starting point. He dashed forward from the initial scare and bumped into the stone of a water fountain.

Jack blinked at his reflection and frowned. He looked like a walking grime ball. His hair was covered in a brownish tar, dirt, leaves and twigs sitting in it and making him look as if he had _literally_ rolled around in the mud. Not to mention the dirt that had stuck to his skin through his travels that gave his once pristine alabaster skin a darker look to it. He gazed at his rectangular face, his icy blue eyes appearing brighter than normal thanks to the grime that countered that brightness. He had a pert nose paired with a thin pair of lips that were wide and held his stunningly perfect smile with bright white teeth. He frowned at himself, pushing back from the fountain and examining his dirty clothes that consisted of his favorite—worn from _years_ of use—cloak that his now deceased mother had given to him when he had been but a babe, a tattered leather vest that tied with shoddy at best laces, what _used_ to be a white long sleeved shirt before the dirt from travel had engrained itself into it and then he had on a pair of tightly fitting cotton pants with the shins tied with leather straps to keep them from fraying any further. He kept his feet bare, but also noticed that he was leaving behind trails of grimy footprints with every step.

Jack frowned, glancing to the left and right before dipping his dirty feet into the fountain and then giving them a quick rinse to keep his feet from leaving a trail. He _was_ supposed to be a thief, after all, and they didn't leave behind trails.

Jack scoffed. What was he talking about? He wasn't a thief; he was just a kid who was trying to survive—always _had _been. He did have a name these days, though: Jack Frost, the Icicle Thief. He'd earned that name because of his ability to control cold, whether it be something as disastrous as the summoning of a blizzard or as subtle as a small gusting of chilled wind. Whatever the case, Jack had learned at a fairly early age that his skills were unique and he had honed them to the point where he could form anything he needed from the cold at his beck and call—which always seemed to be so willing to go to him. His key signature in the South laid in his ability to form un-breaking ice picks to which he had busted into countless stores, armories and treasuries with—not to mention how he'd picked countless shackles and jail cell doors open. But then again nobody knew he was Jack Frost in this Kingdom, only people in the Southern Kingdom knew of him. Of course it had been the band of miscreants he had associated himself with in the South, when he was left family-less at the tender age of seven, that had given him the nickname.

Jack soon straightened after ensuring that his feet weren't leaving behind anymore trails and he twirled his shepherd crook walking staff in his hands, the thing acting as a conduit for him to focus his powers on a single object should he ever find himself in any trouble. He could fight without the staff, yes, but it helped with giving him something to which he could direct his powers with—acting as a guiding wand and taking some strain off of him in the process. Jack turned in a quick circle, steeling his nerves for what he was about to attempt and then jumping yet again when he finished turning and noticed someone had snuck up behind him.

He turned, taking a tentative step back and eyeing the man with a heavy white robe and octangular glasses on the bridge of his nose. The man held out his hand, tilting his head to the left and gazing towards Jack with an assessing eye.

"Manny Lunar." He stated. "Welcome to the Northern Kingdom, can I be of any assistance?"

Jack warily gazed at the hand; trying to think of ways for the man in front of him to turn that against him in _any_ way before he took it, ready for anything should it happen. "Jack."

"Jack. Is it Jack_son_ or just Jack?" Manny asked curiously. "I ask because there are a few Jacksons in the area already and many of them prefer the nickname Jack as well."

"Just Jack." He stated in return. His real name was Jackson, of course, but he had always despised that name with a passion. It felt too regal, too proper for someone like him. "Do you happen to know where the Castle is? I'm looking for a friend who said they were working as a maid there and she asked me to visit."

Manny raised a curious brow, seeming to take on a wary look about him as well before he cleared his throat and opened the thick book he held in his hands. "Jack, may I ask you just a brief question before I tell you where the castle is? It's a survey, I'm curious to know how an outsider views our Kingdom."

Jack sighed, nodding. What did he think of the Kingdom? Well for one he'd never seen a place as cleanly kept as this City was. The cobblestone streets were empty of litter, nobody laid dead in the streets from below zero temperatures, the smell of decay and the burning touch of usually bitterly cold air didn't detriment the scene. The buildings were a wide array of bright pastel colors ranging from grays to whites with blues, pinks, greens and yellows intermixed between each in a tactful way. Roofs looked put together and cared for. Each front door looked welcoming and inviting paired with windows that had separated panes by wooden frames. That wasn't even taking into account how pleasant people were—aside from whoever had been driving the car, but Jack took the blame for _that_ particular disruption.

Everyone looked healthy, even if they were as thin as he was. They had a touch of a healthy glow to their cheeks, a glitter to their eyes and each of them held a happy air about them. They met each other's eyes, nodded in greeting or shouted their hellos with chipper voices. It was almost too perfect, but then again it was hard to _not _be perfectly happy when one was in such a successful Kingdom.

He found himself comparing this Kingdom to his home's. The South seemed forever encased in stormy, dark, clouds and Jack had to spend a good day and a half of his travels adjusting to the bright sunlight he hadn't seen until he had been sixteen when he had finally had enough of the Southern Kingdom and had mastered calling the chilled wind. He glanced at the City around him and realized that if it was the Southern Kingdom then each wall would be covered in a thick, four or five foot in thickness, layer of ice with nothing more than a hole that had been tunneled through the ice to act as a door. The roofing of each house in the City was littered with icicles that, at times, would crack and fall—sometimes killing an innocent right there on the street where their body would be left to the ravages of the cold blizzard that never seemed to cease.

People of the Southern Kingdom weren't nearly as pleasant either. It was a literal version of dog eats dog there where the man who had given you a slice of bread one day would just as quickly stab you in the back the next as quickly as he had offered you the bread. It was why Jack was _always_ wary of people. He refused to have anyone touch him unless it was where he could easily see them and only after he'd thought six steps ahead in case it turned sour. It was engrained into his mindset to be wary of every man and to put his trust in _nobody_.

"Jack?" The man named Manny asked. "Did you hear me?"

Jack shook his head, glancing around the street and then turning his gaze back to Manny. "Sorry, no. Could you repeat the question?"

It was here that Aster turned the corner onto the City's main square and let his eyes roam about. The people seemed especially happy today, and he was surprised to hear one or two people greet him and give him their birthday wishes. He waved them off, sure that it was nothing more than an act, and thanked them as he encouraged them to get on with their day. He took a right and headed for the tailor's shop, getting ready to walk inside when he halted, seeing Manny speaking to what appeared to be a bum. He hadn't seen a bum in a _long _time. Aster's gaze narrowed on the man and he stepped quickly to the left, his eyes zeroing in on his face and realizing he'd seen it once before—but when he had seen it, it had been the face of a child.

It had been on one of the 'rescue' missions to the South to alleviate some of the innocents who were paying for their stubborn King's refusal in leaving the crown. Aster had been only fourteen at the time, just three years into his acting duty as Prince to the Northern Kingdom and _barely_ managing at the time since he still had _so_ many things he had to learn. But he had chosen to go with North that fateful day to relieve a family in particular. The father had died from the Bleak Cold, leaving the mother desperate to get her son and daughter from the area. Of course, as it went, they ran into trouble with the sentries at the borders as they tried to sneak the family past it.

Aster had tried helping, but he had been too weak and too ill-prepared for battle—nearly costing North his life in the process. But luck had been on their side. All they heard was a childish giggle, followed by a fit of laughter as a snowball hit one of the polar bear sentries dead in the face—distracting it and sparing enough time for North to pry them across the border where the sentry could no longer do anything to them. Instead it turned its focus on the small form that sat atop a dead tree, his grin wide and flashing a mouthful of perfectly straight, white and healthy, teeth. Aster at the time had worried about the kid, beginning to rush forward in an attempt to help before a trailing of ice formed at his feet and he slipped—the kid pointing and laughing towards him before Aster growled angrily for the first time in his life as he directed that heated, hate filled, gaze towards the small boy who jumped from the tree limb and ran through the snow—the polar sentry giving chase and causing him to giggle all the louder.

It had been Jack, who was later named Jack Frost the Icicle Thief—at least that was what he'd heard—of the Southern Kingdom. Of course he was also one of the only people privy to that bit of information, seeing as he'd read the letters that North exchanged with 'friends' from the South who were acting as a type of underground railroad. Case and point: Jack Frost was, in laymen's terms, trouble.

"Frost!" Aster barked indignantly, clenching his hands and pacing towards Manny and Jack—who looked the same with his dirty grime colored brown hair in a messy mop. But then Jack turned, his eyes widening when he heard that shout and causing Aster's feet to falter in their steps.

Aster blinked unbelieving at the change that had taken place in Jack. He had gone from that annoying hyper kid that twitched constantly to _this_ beaut. Aster let his eyes roam over his childhood nemesis, taking in that messy brown hair and realizing with surprise that his once deep brown eyes had turned crystalline blue at some point since he'd last seen him—a mystery he'd investigate later. He then watched as Jack sauntered over with a slow smile crossing his lips, bouncing his staff on his shoulder after ignoring a question from Manny.

"Bunny!" He stated, acting nonchalant about the whole thing. "I haven't seen you in ages."

Aster snapped from his awe and leaned forward, putting a menacing look to his features as he said: "And fer good reason ya larrikin. Yer _trouble_, now get out of mah Kingdom."

"Your Kingdom?" Jack asked, the skepticism in his voice as he began to slowly pace a circle from Aster's left to his right. "So if this is _your_ Kingdom, does that mean North isn't around anymore?"

Aster's hands clenched and he ground his teeth. "No, ya hoon. Ah just want ya out of mah borders before ya cause trouble—the thing yer _infamous_ fer!"

"Oh, you mean like this?" Jack asked, summoning up a sharp ice blade and cutting Aster's pouch of money from the drawstring it was tied to on his pants. Jack felt the weight hit his hand and he immediately turned, hearing Aster's growl of irritation before he called the wind and took off through the streets with Aster shouting after him shortly after. "Better hurry up Kangaroo!"

Aster snarled at that, giving chase and leaving Manny standing in the center of the street with a knowing smirk on his face. It wasn't exactly a secret that Aster could turn into a six foot one rabbit that stood as tall as a man, but Jack didn't know about it—all the same it still irritated the fuck out of him that Jack would call him one of the marsupials that wandered around his Tribe lands…it also made him wonder just _what _Jack had been up too the past eleven years. Aster began to quickly peel off his clothes as he chased after Jack, dipping, ducking and jumping over obstacles along the path he took and apologizing to whomever he happened to bump into, intent on getting his money back mainly so he didn't have to go back to the castle grounds until literally an hour before his birthday party commenced. He yanked his shirt off his head followed by him tossing his cargo pants to the bushes after unbuttoning them and stepping from them, shifting and then bounding from his boxers as they slipped off his narrower hips with ease. Aster's front paws hit the cobblestone and he was off after Jack at a much faster—and comfortable to boot—pace on all fours, chasing him along the ground as he floated above—still too high to reach.

Jack glanced down from his high in the sky location and searched for Bunny, the man who had been an annoying thorn in his side once before and had royally screwed up his attempt at keeping his foster family safe as they crossed the border of the Southern Kingdom ten—or was it eleven?—years ago. Jack halted on a quick gust of wind and let his eyes wander the ground below him, darting off to the right on another gust of wind, hedging towards the edge of the City. He snickered to himself when he didn't see any signs of Bunny, lowering towards the ground and then tossing the coin pouch in the air with an amused look to his features. He enjoyed the weight of the pouch in his hand and smirked triumphantly.

"Guess the 'roo's lost some of his spun—" Jack wailed suddenly as something pummeled into him, the coin purse flying through the air followed shortly by the clattering of his staff on the ground. Jack felt a brief moment of motion sickness as he and whatever had tackled him rolled down the edge of the City's streets and into the bushes along the cobblestone road. Jack shook his head, "What the—hahaha! Stop! What the—stop!"

Aster had pounced on Jack, his energy high and his instincts doing back flips of joy at having chased down and successfully caught Jack. Something inside him thrilled at the idea of catching Jack, of ending up _on top_ of him. Then those instincts overrode Aster's mind, his nose going to the collar of Jack's shirt and beginning his heady sniffing of Jack's scent—vanilla, mint, freshly fallen snow and best of all was that his tantalizing scent sparked something in him that made him shudder in relief.

His Mate. He'd found his Mate!

Aster's entire frame froze with that realization. He took in a sharp inhale, snapping from whatever spell he had been under as his instincts overrode his logical brain for a brief moment and then he pushed up from Jack's frame, letting his temper override that primal urge to grab Jack, flip him onto his stomach, rip those _damn_ pants off and then dominate him in a way only _he_ could. He shuddered at that image, feeling blood drain downwards to his groin before his shook his head and pitted an angry glare towards Jack.

"Frost, whadd'ya think yer doing stealing mah bloody coin pouch?! What's wrong with ya, ya drongo? Ya got no bloody sense ya know that? Thick as a brick!" Aster threatened, to which Jack propped himself up onto his elbows and gave him a sultry look that made him have to clench his jaw.

Jack ignored how good it felt to have—if the voice was anything to go by along with the droning train of reprimands—Bunny's furry self all over him. He had to admit, there had been _something _about that thrilling moment of having Bunny intently sniffing at him that had brought a fire from his loins and spread it through his entire being. Essentially, there was a spark—and Jack didn't know why, but _boy _was he curious. However now wasn't the time to wallow on realizations of that type.

So instead he chose to play it off as if he hadn't felt a damn thing towards Bunny. He didn't even really _like _him anyways. He felt Bunny was too pompous, egotistical and sure of himself—not to mention the fact that he _never _had fun—to really garner that kind of reaction to Bunny.

But it sure as hell felt _amazing_. Jack had never wanted to submit quite like he had with Bunny, that dominating personality making him buckle as if he _wasn't _himself. It was both thrilling and absolutely terrifying.

"Oh c'mon 'Roo!" Jack laughed when he watched Bunny's face twist into anger, which was fairly hilarious with his furred rabbit face—even if that form looked fucking _magnificent _and _strong_.

"Ah'm not a bloody Kangaroo ya hoon!" Aster shouted angrily.

"Then what the hell are you?!" Jack shot back, sniggering.

Aster leaned menacingly forward and glared towards him. "Ah'm a Pooka warrior, mate, ya best remember that."

Jack raised his brows and rolled his eyes. "You look like a Bunny…an overgrown Bunny might I add. So excuse me Mr. hoity toity Pooka warrior who apparently runs around in the nude."

"Ah'm not nude!" Aster growled. "Fur ya dill, ya ever seen it before?!"

Jack made a raspberry in the air. "Course I've seen it, I had to fight off that polar bear sentry _alone_ back when I saved you and your dad's keesters, not to mention my foster family as well."

Aster straightened indignantly, his ears perking high on the crown of his head before he snarled towards Jack, jabbing a furry digit towards him and immediately retorting that. "Ah did _not_ let ya fight that bloody thing alone. Ya put ice under mah foot and _caused_ me ta slip then ya took off!"

Jack shot into a sitting position, ready to go head to head and argue this out till he was blue in the face—which wouldn't be too hard considering he blushed that color…or at least something in light of that color. He, though, couldn't _believe_ Bunny was going to argue this and insist that _he _was right.

So Jack stood up with a quick gust of wind pushing him forward and went toe to toe with Bunny, which was tricky considering Jack stood about six inches shorter than Bunny at five foot eight inches in comparison to his six foot one self—not adding the extra foot those strong and striking, velvety soft, ears added. He ignored how much he wanted to run his hands along their lengths and instead met Aster's sharp, bright, green gaze and narrowed his eyes as he then stated:

"Yea well you almost cost _my_ family their lives with your 'we need to rescue them' bullshit!" Jack snarled the end of that out, letting his anger filter through and ignoring how the temperature dropped around them. "We were doing just fine till _you _guys showed up!"

"Ya almost cost us _all_ our lives with yer ridiculous games!" Aster shot back just as heatedly—his tone clipped and irritated. Yet something inside of him _thrilled _at this argument, as heated as it was. It _liked _a Mate that put forth a challenge. Something inside of him was still doing back flips of joy, thrilling at having caught him in a successful chase. He kept gazing at Jack's face, watching as his anger began to flush his face blue in a blush. Aster noticed how _adorable _that was before he let his anger cut back through as he ignored that growing urge to grapple Jack into an unyielding embrace. "Now come with me before ya get into anymore trouble y'gumbie."

"No." Jack raised his upper lip in distaste and shook his head fervently. "I'm not going anywhere with you, I'm going—"

"There he is! Halt!" Soldiers shouted, rushing en masse into the hedging and Aster watched as Jack's eyes widened before he took a step back. It was here that Jack tried to escape, realizing the shit storm he'd just been wrapped into and attempting to run away but being halted by a strong, rough and soft at the same time, paw on his forearm. He turned, sending an indignant glare towards Aster who held him in place with a withering look before shackles were slapped on his wrists—shackles that deterred magic might he add—and was hauled off by the cluster of guards. The head guard turned to Aster and bowed. "Prince Aster. My commendation for catching the crook."

"Not a problem." Aster murmured absently, his eyes locked to Jack's frame as he watched him be halted on the cobblestone path.

Then reality sank in.

Aster's eyes widened and he sucked in a sharp breath. Oh no…oh no, no, no, no, NO! There was _no_ way Jack bloody Frost was _his_ Mate! As he thought of that Jack turned to face him, those blue—once brown—depths sending a scared look back towards him before it was washed away with a sure and cocky smirk that hid his flash of fear. Aster watched as Jack stuck his tongue out towards him before he bent over and made kissing noises while he slapped his ass insultingly.

Jack frowned when he realized Bunny was frozen in place, staring but not comprehending whatever he tossed his way. Jack straightened, rolling his eyes and ignoring how uncomfortable that damn stare was beginning to get as he felt it locked on his back like a laser as he was hauled away again. Jack chanced one last look behind him and saw the absolute dread on Aster's face. He raised a brow as he was hauled off—surprisingly gently considering he just stole the coin pouch from their acting Prince—and heaved a heavy breath.

Jack's shoulders bunched up as he felt Bunny's gaze still on his back and he sighed, deciding one last look backwards before his head ended up in the gallows wasn't such a bad thing. He saw Bunny's furry face staring after him—eyes wide with a mixture of denial, fear and then Jack watched as his face softened in relief followed by an appraising look and a pursing of his lips as his face took on a contemplative look. Jack's brows rose in disbelief before he turned right the fuck back around and decided to totally _ignore _that look of approval.

Aster watched Jack get hauled off. At first he was absolutely stricken with the realization that _that_ annoying man was who his other side wanted as a Mate. He'd thought of countless ways to deny that claim, each one being squashed as he came up against it. Jack was a nuisance—but he brought something into him that complimented him and made him a better man as he had to clean up the trouble Jack made. He was fun—always up for an adventure or a walk in the park, where one wouldn't be alone anymore. He was care-free and light hearted—compared to his bogged down with responsibilities and cold heart. But most of all, in those fleeting moments of being with him, he had felt peace—complete, undeniable, happy, peace.

Aster sighed, climbing from the edge of the cobblestone path and hauling his frame from the bushes. He felt the villagers stare at his _real _shape, even though they'd seen it countless times before, but it didn't faze him for once. For once he was proud of his form…proud of himself and _eager _to relieve his Mate from his jail cell.

* * *

Responses:

To **Shanatic**: WHAT THE FUCK HAPPENED LAST NIGHT? ...That just gave me an idea.

To **yey**: Ehehehehehe, yea Jack's going to be a pain to Pitch XD.

To **Delilah** (I'm going with flowers, I'm sorry XD): Just to be clear: This _is _a romance between Jack and Aster. If you're not comfortable with that then I can add in breaks so you can skip the BS regarding that-unless you're alright with it. But onto the next bit: I don't see, never really _have, _Jack as a Prince. He's too 'free' to be a Prince in my head but Aster I believe would buckle down and do it, and he'd do it _well_, which was why I always saw him as more of a Prince character-even if he is unwilling to do it haha.

To **Kayla**: Write your fic! If you want I can help edit it for you (yes I do that too). My first ever story I released flopped-hard, and it's absolutely terrible XD. But I got a little more comfortable (and drunk) and cranked out Manny's and Waiting...and now this. I honestly wasn't going to include Elves in this world-didn't even cross my mind. So that's out in your hypothesis...but there are _other_ things (Elementalists and Elementals) that are awaiting to be padded out. Also in your second bit about Jack and Bunny having an heir...are you asking for mpreg (I think that's what it's called?)? I've never done it before-want to try my hand at it too-but I wasn't going to go that route with this story (not that it'd be hard to write it in)...that and the Science based person in my heads grips the edge of the nearest table and threatens to flip it since _it doesn't work like that_ XD I have nothing against it, I somewhat like reading it if there's a purpose to it, but otherwise I'm well aware it tends to break some people...and that twit in my brain.

To **Sticksandstones**: Yes on both counts for WoaD and Manny's. Secondly, I had no idea ya'll were okay with M/F sex else I'd have added that shit into Manny's earlier haha. Poor Aster coulda used a good romp in Manny's to tide over till he figured out what to do with Jack. I'm not _that _good of a writer unfortunately. I fucked up the smut scene for WoaD and editor is tearing it asunder because I wanted the _best _for you guys since you spent so long waiting for it-so I handed it to her and pleaded, begged and then fixed her Sims 3 game up as payment XD. I have another original idea that just popped up last night so looks like my muse is still a kickin'.

Finally to **Ultravioletlex**: I'm sorry for making you wait! I haven't wrote too far into this story and it takes me awhile to sit down and think about what I want per Chapter in order to successfully plot it out right ;D In fact I read this Chapter through once more to make sure it flowed right :D


	4. Chapter 3 - Bath and a Ball

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

However! I do own this bloody plot and this damn world along with a few well thought out ideas.

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Chapter 3: Bath and a Ball

**Summary**: How much money did Aster spend at the jailhouse to get Jack off the hook? Aster also finds out that Jack looks have once again changed – but this time it's startling. Jack then finds out that he is required to attend Aster's birthday party, but what happens when the party turns dangerous and someone's life is suddenly at stake?

Bunny ran his hand through his hair, stepping up to the thick door of the jailhouse and tugging his shirt right before tucking it in and attempting to look as if he meant business—even if he _was_ wearing a dirt stained shirt that still had a few leaves stuck to it, pants that were covered in mud and on his hiking boots were the sure scuff marks of him having kicked them both into a rock in his quick discarding of clothes in order to chase Jack down earlier that morning. He set his hand on the heavy door and pushed it open, his eyes going to Sheriff Robin Hood and nodding before a quick grin crossed his face.

Robin sat up in his seat, having had his feet up on the edge of the table while he had been gazing at a newspaper with dead eyes, walked over to Aster and held out his hand in greeting. Aster took it, happily, and immediately started shooting shit with his sparring buddy from when they'd both trained in the King's army.

"Ah'm tellin' ya mate, Pitch still has the new recruits doing the same thing we had ta do every bloody mornin'." Aster admitted, having stood in his room and watched frequently from lack of sleep as the new recruits were rudely awoken at five in the morning, rushed from their beds and sent to do laps around the large City till their legs buckled or they got into shape at last. "Every bloody mornin', lap, lap, lap, lap, half of the blighters fall over before the veterans pull past without a second's thought and then its right back ta the same routine."

"No shit." Robin asked, leaning his ass onto the edge of the desk and shaking his head with a laugh. "Man, you were always able to outrun everyone though. You never _stopped_ running."

Aster shrugged. "Ah happen ta be good at it—and quick." He then sucked in a sharp breath. "But unfortunately Ah'm not here ta shoot shit with ya, mate. Ah'm here ta bail out the bloke ya arrested earlier today."

"You mean Jack Frost, the Icicle Thief?" Robin asked with a smirk before he chuckled at Aster's wide eyed look. "Oh you bet I know about him. Every sheriff does. Granted we don't divulge those details to the public, but we are _well_ aware of who does what in other Kingdoms—hell even the Southern Kingdom's sheriff is still a'kickin' apparently, he just bends the rules a little more in order to keep the Kingdom sane."

Aster sighed. "Ah'm here ta post Jack's bail."

"Already sent out the bounty call for him, though." Robin replied with an apologetic look. "You know that even if you bail him out everyone and their brother's going to show up to try to capture him and turn him in."

Aster pursed his lips in thought. "Any chance you could nullify it?"

Robin shrugged, looking especially thoughtful as brows rose on his forehead. "Maybe…how much extra we talkin' for that kind of service? My reputation takes a hit when I have to retract a bounty call, you know."

"Ah know, mate." Aster then reached for the pouch of coins on his hip and turned to the desk as he untied it. He then upended the pouch, letting the coins clatter onto the desk and watching as Robin's eyes stared at the amount. "Ah've got fifty thousand here. Twenty thousand fer his bail, twenty thousand fer yer credibility and an extra ten thousand if ya let me keep yer bloody magic shackles Ah know ya had yer deputy slap on him so he doesn't go flitting off on me."

Robin nodded. "Absolutely worth it." Robin grabbed his key chain and set away to taking off the key for the shackles, setting it into Aster's palm when he held it out and then Robin turned to the jail's solid door and unlocked it as it creaked open with a foreboding sound to anyone within the confines. "You realize, of course, that thirty thousand of that is going straight to families I know need some extra money…right?"

Aster clapped Robin on the shoulder after tucking the key into his pocket. "Mate, ya wouldn't be who ya are if it didn't."

Robin nodded, laughing with Aster as they headed through the hallway of the jail cells. They chuckled, joked and teased each other mercilessly about their time in the army until they came to Jack's cell.

Aster hated seeing his Mate within the rock walls that were fortified with metal around the building. The metal hadn't been installed until the tail edge of Aster's childhood, when there was still a few errant crimes in the city. It had been installed thanks to one too many inmates at the time learning how to pry the rocks from their spots along the walls. The metal fortification to the jailhouse made it impossible to break from and made him realize that Jack would've been stuck in the cell with those shackles on unless he'd picked up some very useful tricks that didn't involve his magic, which he had a gut feeling that Jack hadn't bothered to learn.

Seeing Jack inside the cell, gazing at the floor with a bleak look to his eyes made his other side whine and whimper inside his head. It—no he—couldn't wait till Jack was safely in his arms again, or at least out of that bloody cell.

"Alright Frost," Robin stated, "you'd better start thanking your lucky stars. Prince Aster here posted your bail."

Jack's head snapped up and then he narrowed his eyes on Bunny, immediately suspicious of him. _Why_ would _Bunny_ of all people post his bail? Honestly he was expecting a bounty hunter to show up before Bunny did. Also what was the purpose of doing this, especially since they were near strangers to one another? Not to mention he was sure he'd just cost Bunny a pretty penny or two. The last time he'd seen the bounty list with his name on it he was close to the double digits followed by three zeros. He squashed that bit of pride which peeked through with that bit of knowledge and instead looked around his dank cell for a moment before he stood and went to the sheriff.

"Why do all jail cells look alike?" He asked absently as he stepped out into the hallway and held out his wrists to get the sheriff to take off the shackles—shackles that were beginning to make him feel outright dead as they cut off his magic supply.

"How much time have ya spent in jail cells?" Bunny asked, curiosity apparent in his voice—even if it _did_ have a disapproving tone.

Jack frowned towards Bunny. "Enough to know they all look, sound and smell the same."

Bunny snorted, grabbing hold of the chain that linked his shackles together and tugging him along. "C'mon, Frost, ya owe me fer this."

"What? Hey!" Jack huffed, hating that it was so easy for Bunny to handle him when he didn't have his magic or any real ability to escape or resist. "Hey! Take the shackles off!"

"Nope!" Bunny replied, tugging Jack from the jailhouse with a quick smirk over his shoulder before he opened a door to a horse drawn taxi carriage and pulled him to the steps that led into it. "Ah'm keepin' them on ya till Ah'm sure yer actually going ta stay and serve out yer payment. Ya made me pay yer bail with mah birthday money mate, the least ya can do is pay it back through labor."

"What?!" Jack shouted as Bunny got tired of him stalling on the steps and giving him a solid shove into the carriage. Jack huffed, sitting down across from Bunny and pitting a glare at him. "What do you mean _pay it back in labor_?"

Aster watched the anger filled blush cut across Jack's cheeks again, those icy blue eyes lighting with a combative look that stoked that familiar flame of lust in Aster's being. Maybe his other side _was_ right when it came to picking Jack, he sure as hell wasn't afraid to start a fight and get up in one's craw. Aster grinned internally. Jack was going to be a good Mate for no other reason than the fact that he was strong and seemed confident and sure in his choices. Aster thrilled at the prospect of being able to watch Jack prove himself as someone _more_ than the Icicle Thief.

"Ah mean yer going ta serve as mah personal servant fer a few days. Nothing too pressing mind ya, and ya'll spend a majority of the time caring fer mah mother since Ah'll be in meetings, but Ah expect ya ta serve out a week—at the very least—as mah personal servant." Aster grinned, making sure it was a cheeky one as well before he leaned forward just enough to catch Jack's scent again, shivering internally before he sat back and crossed his arms. "Till the week is up those shackles will remain on."

Jack huffed again, but this time it was rank with irritability. He held out his hands, raising a brow and then tugging his hands in opposite directions to one another—as if trying to prove a fairly obvious point—the chain connecting the two straining, but not breaking.

"And to tell me, Bunny, how I'm supposed to do that with _these_ on!" Jack growled that bit out, gritting his teeth as his eyebrows lowered over his eyes and gave him a wild look that peeked Aster's interest.

Jack couldn't believe what he'd just been told. _How_ was he supposed to do _anything_ with these damn shackles on his wrists? They hindered his movements and cut him off from his magic—something he desperately needed in order to keep strong. Jack sucked in a sharp breath and whimpered worriedly with that thought, letting a brief moment of panic cross his eyes before he shoved it down. He didn't need Bunny seeing that panic, let alone was he willing to announce a weakness like that to him. He slumped back in the seat in defeat when Bunny did nothing more than smirk towards him and have an appraising look to his eyes.

Jack narrowed his in return and tried to cross his arms, growling in irritability when his hands halted before he even reached his elbows. He huffed, sticking his tongue out towards Bunny since he couldn't think of anything more mature to do before he began gazing out the window of the carriage and watching the houses go by followed by the clopping sounds of the horse's hooves on the cobblestone.

In the silence of the ride, along with Bunny finally averting his gaze out the window of the carriage, Jack took a moment to stare at him. The last time he saw Bunny he'd been reed thin with buck teeth that were too big for his small mouth and some of the brightest green eyes in one of the most breathtaking shades he'd ever laid eyes on. Of course at the time it had been nothing but a curious thing to him, he _had_ only been seven—but Bunny had been someone that had crossed his path and definitely left an impression, especially when he sicced that deathly glare towards him when he'd summoned up that sheen of ice under his foot to keep him safe on the other side of the border. Watching him flail and then land on his ass had just been an added bonus.

But now? Now all Jack saw was a grown man who wore the burdens of the world on his shoulders. He gazed at Bunny, noticing that his green eyes had brightened only a little since the town square. His mouth seemed set in a permanent frown when he was interacting with him and those brows were set low over his eyes, turning his entire face into a grumpy scowl. Jack sat up a little, squinting in the fading light and noticing that Bunny also had something on his forehead, a marking, which was both beautiful and savage at the same time in its look. It made him want to reach out and run the pad of his thumb over it, but he resisted. He sat back, warily looking at Bunny and mystified about all of the things he had felt for him earlier—and also wondered why he was drawn to him now.

That's right, he could have ditched Bunny the second he was shoved into the carriage, but he hadn't. He had chosen to stay put and wait to see just how this unfolded—that and he was _very_ curious about whatever spark was between them. It scared him, without a doubt, but he still wanted to investigate it thoroughly.

In the mean time Aster saw the walls of the Castle, waved to the guard through the window of the carriage to be let in and then led Jack through the mansion, having to tug Jack through the lavishly furnished building the entire time by the chains of his shackles because he kept halting to stare at something. It was either a priceless antique, a family heirloom, a lavish piece of furniture that he had called 'outright majestic' or—and this one made Aster himself pause, when Jack halted at the large map of the Kingdoms that laid along one of the walls just across from the meeting room.

"Wow." Jack breathed, blinking up at the image. "How much did this cost?"

Aster frowned, tugging Jack along and ignoring the question. "C'mon, Ah'm going ta cut that chain from the shackles—but the shackles themselves are stayin' on."

Jack tilted his head when they halted at a door and he watched as Bunny lifted a knuckle to rap on the door followed by a muffled, 'Come in.'

Jack followed Bunny into the room and froze when a man, whose large size _had_ been curled up in the corner of the room, unfurled from that spot into a hulking being that had Jack taking a _big_ step back. He'd never seen a man quite as _built_ as this guy was when it came to body structure. It wasn't the fact that he was muscular, quite the contrary, the guy was just _big_. His limbs there thick as tree trunks, his shoulders broad and paired with a barrel shaped chest and a gut that looked as if it still had some muscle to it instead of it all just being fat. Then there was the man's face. White hair that had turned that color from age adorned his head, pulled back in a long ponytail with two thick, black, bushy eyebrows that arched in just the right way to give the man a good, old fashioned, dangerous look. His eyes were a bright blue, a rarity for anyone in the North—but still a feature that wasn't odd—and below his rounded and red nipped nose was a heavy looking white beard that braided near the end. His mouth was set in a frown and his arms crossed as he leaned forward. Jack took another step back, gulping loudly and bumping into the door they'd came in through as he gazed at the man's white shirt paired with bright red pants and thick soled black work boots.

"Uhh…" Jack squeaked out, hearing Bunny snigger next to him before he stepped in the way.

"Da, Ah need ta borrow yer clippers." Aster stated, garnering North's attention and making him halt his act. Though he had to admit, watching Jack shake in his britches had been hilarious. "Ah need ta cut some chains off some shackles."

North nodded, pursing his lips and turning in a quick circle before he marched to his shelf and pulled out the clippers that looked big enough to take off a horse's head and sharp enough to do it in a single stroke. Jack made another squeak behind him and Aster sent a mirthful grin towards North who cleared his throat and stepped forward, holding out his hand.

"I am Nicholas St. North, King of the Northern Kingdom. I assume you are Jack Frost? The Icicle Thief?" He asked, and Aster watched with curiosity when Jack eyed North's hand warily before he took it—almost as if he was assessing the dangers of taking that hand first before he even considered it.

Jack nodded, looking somewhat proud of that fact and Aster couldn't help but love how _sure_ Jack was about his station in life—even if he _didn't_ approve of it. He then stepped up to Jack when North had released his hand and hedged the clippers near the initial starting ring of the chains and clipped it off. He then did so with the other side and then Jack rubbed the bracer-like shackles on his wrists with a frown.

"You _sure_ you don't want to take these off too?" Jack seemed to plead.

"Not on yer nelly, mate." Aster replied, turning Jack and thanking North before he ushered Jack through the house. He kept a firm hold of his shoulders, both to keep Jack from halting in his footsteps to gawk at something _and_ because he loved feeling Jack's shoulders under his hands. He came to his bedroom and opened the door, frowning towards the pristinely made bed. "Ah keep tellin' 'em ta _stop_ makin' mah bloody bed. Why do they persist in doin' it?!"

Jack raised a brow when Bunny blurted that. He turned his head from the impeccably made bed and raised a brow in disbelief.

"You're going to _complain_ about someone _making_ your bed _every day_?" He asked in disbelief. "Seriously? Act more spoiled."

"Can it." Bunny growled, giving him a shove to the left and then waving his hand towards the door to the left. "Bathroom's that way, get a bath or shower in and then come back out here when yer done ta see if we can't find ya something ta wear."

Jack rolled his eyes, but decided a bath _was_ needed. He sucked in a sharp breath soon as he turned on the light and whistled his approval. The bathroom was _huge_! There were two sets of sinks along the left on a marble counter followed by a wall-length mirror. The toilet was tucked away into the corner just past the sinks in its own small crevice with a door that was propped open—and even then that room was spacious and well lit. Then Jack turned from that and gazed at the bathtub that he could have sworn must have been imported from the Eastern Kingdom's Jacuzzi houses due to how big and deep it was, so much so it required a series of steps to get into and out of it. He then turned to the large mirror just by the double headed shower and muttered out a quick: "Damn."

"Impressive, isn't it?" Bunny asked, stepping into the bathroom and holding a towel and a wash cloth. "Feel free ta use mah liquid soap, shampoo and conditioner. Get _everything_ out of yer bloody hair ya look like a mongrel. Honestly Ah think the thing Ah liked _most _about this Kingdom over mah Tribe land is the fact that Ah could live happily in this bathroom."

Jack rolled his eyes and watched as Bunny sat the towel on the sink, laughing when Bunny sent a smirk over his shoulder. Jack then leaned into the shower, playing with the knobs to figure them out before he watched the door close to the bathroom.

It had taken a _lot_ for Aster not to start setting away to giving Jack one of his long postponed tongue baths, but he figured throwing _that_ particular oddity at Jack first would scare the bloke off just as fast as he'd appeared. So, Aster had settled with letting him use the bathroom while he walked off to go see if he could track down a servant who _might_ have clothes that would fit Jack. He stepped through the hallway and halted when he saw a servant carrying Tooth and his mother's dresses, shouted for him to halt for a brief moment and then grabbed up Jack's staff from the pile before he let the man go on his way. Before he could turn around he found his chest smothered by a crying girl in a maid outfit, a mess of long sloppily cut blonde hair marring part of her face as she turned her green eyes up towards him.

"Please Prince Aster don't send him to the gallows! He's my brother! I didn't mean for him to come here to cause trouble I just wanted to see him—"

Aster shook his head in confusion for a moment before he remembered that Sophie, Jamie and Ms. Bennett were Jack's foster family that North had given jobs to within the Castle in order to give them a roof over their heads and three meals a day—not to mention it was better than living in that Southern Kingdom. He held up a hand and the girl's blathering stopped. "Sophie, sheila, he's not goin' ta the gallows. Ah paid his bail and he'll act as mah personal servant ta pay off the price Ah had ta pay for that bail. A'right? Don't ya worry yer pretty little head ya little ankle-bittah."

Sophie puffed out a breath and the relief that washed across her face made him feel like he'd actually done something _good_ in his life. "Can I see him?"

"He's takin' a shower right now, but do ya happen ta know where yer mum is?" He asked, knowing Sarah Bennett would _definitely_ have an old outfit of Jamie's that might fit Jack's frame. The two shared the same reed-thin body shape. "Ah need ta ask her somethin'."

Sophie nodded, leading Aster through the halls before he saw Sarah milling about with the other maids, setting down utensils at the large table in the dining room and looking frazzled. Sophie went to her mother and explained that he was looking for her, to which Sarah handed the utensils off with quick directions to Sophie who set away to working without a second's thought. Sarah's brown eyes were wide when she approached, fear lacing across her features.

"Prince Aster," She gave a slight bow, "please I beg you to allow Jack's misconduct to—"

"Ah already forgot about it." Aster replied, cutting her off. "But Ah do need ta ask if Jamie has any spare clothes ya might happen ta have on ya—that're nice, that is. Ah don't have anythin' fer him yet and Ah want him ta attend tonight's party—as a personal guest of mine."

Sarah's eyes widened and she nodded. "But of course, follow me please."

Aster did exactly that, ignoring the curious looks some of the other servants sent his way as they bustled down the halls at a quick and clipped pace before Sarah opened the door to her living quarters inside the castle and then went immediately to the armoire in her room. Aster waited at the door, intent to let people see that he was _outside_ of the bedroom and not _inside_ living up to his nicknames. He heard Sarah let out a relieved breath and then she stepped forward, holding out a simple—plain—suit with a green colored tie.

"Unfortunately it's all I have leftover for him." Sarah replied, handing it over with a slight bow. "He's grown a bit since the last time he wore it thanks to all the stable work he's been doing, but it should fit Jack."

Aster nodded his thanks and turned sharply on his heel, deciding that he'd put an order in with the staff for Ms. Bennett and her children to have the day off at some point this week for doing this favor for him. He trucked back up the stairs, setting the suit down on the bed as he entered the bedroom and then stalked off to prop the staff in his walk in closet. He walked back out into the bedroom and turned to the bathroom door when it opened. He gazed at Jack's form, covered in a towel from the waist down and furiously rubbing another through his hair in an attempt to dry it.

"Y'know," Jack's voice came out muffled from the towel he vigorously ran across his head, "that shower has a serious problem. It's either too hot or too cold."

Aster then sucked in a sharp breath when Jack lowered the towel and shook out his mop of _snow white_ hair. Aster gaped at it, surprised to see that not only had Jack's _eyes_ changed, but his _hair_ had as well! Aster couldn't stop himself as he lurched forward and immediately invaded Jack's personal space, shifting forms and setting away to sniffing with his keener senses—desperate to figure out if there was _something_ wrong with his Mate that would've caused this change.

Jack, on the other hand, was taken aback when Bunny lurched forward suddenly with panic in his gaze as he shifted forms and stuck that cold nose into his hair and started sniffing. The feeling of that sent little chills across Jack's body that made him snort out in quick laughs, followed by goose bumps from the oddity of the sensation. He started outright chuckling when Bunny's head rubbed against his with the base of his jaw in two quick movements on either side of his head. Finally Bunny let out a pleased snort into his hair and then lurched back, shifting back into his more Human shape with his eyes slightly dilated.

Jack tilted his head to the side and raised a brow. "Well…that was interesting."

Jack watched as Bunny's hands clenched briefly before he turned another worry laced gaze towards him. "What happened ta ya in the past seven years?"

Jack shrugged. "What exactly do you mean?"

"Ah mean when Ah saw ya seven years ago ya had tan skin, brown eyes and brown hair. Now yer as pale as the moon with snow white hair and icy blue eyes." Bunny turned from him to begin tugging a suit off of a hanger with irritated motions. "It's odd that ya just suddenly changed like that."

Jack shrugged again. "Pot calling the kettle black. A person changing isn't _that_ unusual. I mean you, after all, turn into a six foot one _Rabbit_." Jack watched as Bunny sent a quick glare that was washed away when he had added in the 'rabbit' portion of that sentence. "Hey uh, Bun-bun, I don't mean to be an annoyance but…uhh…I don't have any clean underwear to wear."

This little fact seemed to give Bunny pause before he turned on his heel and stalked into what looked like a walk in closet. Jack felt his brows knit together as he watched Bunny stalk off, surprised when he came back with a pair of silk boxers in a white color. He tossed them to Jack.

"Ah haven't worn those yet. They're fresh from the tailor's and freshly washed. Ah figure ya _might_ be able ta wear them." Bunny turned back to working on the suit, laying it out in layers and then straightening with a contemplative look before he stalked off into the walk in closet again.

Jack took that opportunity to attempt to see if the boxers _would_ fit. He tugged them on underneath the towel before taking the towel off and was pleasantly surprised to see that they did fit—if a little loose. They'd work for tonight at least until he could wash his own. He straightened abruptly when Bunny walked back into the room and noticed how he halted slightly in his steps as those green eyes landed on him and _once_ again dilated dangerously. Jack gulped, taking a tentative step back from that animalistic look and averting his gaze to Bunny's chest so he wasn't antagonizing whatever was peeking out from Bunny's eyes.

_What the hell is up with him? _Jack thought curiously before pointing a finger towards the suit. "So…put the suit on?"

Aster shook his head, returning to himself after nearly being steam rolled by his _need_ to claim his Mate. He cleared his throat and nodded blinking furiously and tossing his own suit on the edge of the bed. "Yea. Ah can help ya if ya want."

_Actually, Ah'd __**love**__ ta help ya get dressed._ He added mentally before Jack shook his head. Aster nodded, his mood dipping briefly when he realized his _need_ to care for his Mate was going to have to sit on the sidelines for a few more moments. 'Course that didn't mean it was going to _willingly_ sit there for much longer. However, Aster didn't want to force Jack into this Mating—at least not without his consent. Aster froze in his movements after tugging the shirt from his torso and glanced over to Jack with a worried gaze. _Ah hope…Ah hope he will at least give it a chance_.

"Uh…Bunny? Could you stop staring please?" Jack asked, smirking.

Jack chuckled when Bunny's cheeks flushed briefly before that burning green gaze was averted and they both settled into getting dressed again. Jack watched as Bunny stalked past to go into the bathroom, leaving the door open and allowing Jack to take a step back and gander into the bathroom. He was surprised to see Bunny was fairly tedious when it came to fixing his hair. Bunny finished and Jack gasped and acted like he _hadn't_ been gawking at Bunny as he styled his own hair. Though Jack had to admit, even after having watched him do that particular grooming he liked the wilder looking Bunny better with his haphazardly styled faux hawk that had looked as if he'd only ran his hand through it in an attempt to tame it.

Aster stepped from the bathroom and noticed Jack was focused, intently might he add, on the knot of the tie. He watched Jack's tongue peek from the corner of his lips as his brows furrowed and he focused on attempting to knot the tie. Aster smirked, chuckling lightly before he stepped up to Jack and held his hands out between them.

He cocked a brow when Jack looked up at him. Aster then asked him: "Help?"

Jack huffed, nodding and letting his hands flop to his sides in defeat. Aster, in the meantime, thrilled at being able to do _something_ for his Mate. He pulled the tie from Jack's throat and circled behind him, laying it accordingly along it and then leaning over Jack's shoulders to tie it correctly. It was just a benefit that while in this position he just so happened to get a heady scenting of Jack in the process.

Jack, on the other hand, tensed briefly when Bunny looped behind him. He sucked in an anxious breath, willing himself to stay put only because he didn't _think_ Bunny was going to try to strangle him or backstab him. He remained tense as he felt the edges of Bunny's fingers skim over his shoulders, tugging at the tie to line it up right and then proceeding to lace it with smooth, elegant and practiced movements. Jack closed his eyes and sucked in sharp breaths of shuddering, nerve relieving, breaths and forced himself to relax. He let that breath slowly trickle out and felt his shoulders relax…and then found himself slowly leaning into Bunny's arms. He swallowed, butterflies rising in his stomach as he noticed how _good_ Bunny's arms felt around him—how _safe_ he felt in that embrace. He felt Bunny give a solid tug at the knot of the tie, fire lighting again within him and then he was turning his head as Bunny's nose caressed the shell of his ear.

Aster, at first, had felt how tense Jack was. So he'd done nothing more than focus on the task at hand: tying the knot of the tie. However as he'd began to wrap up that task he had felt the air shift between them as Jack's shoulders slumped into a relaxed state and then he immediately responded when Jack's scent shifted, a spark igniting in the air between them, as that heady smell of lust laced the air. Aster then responded without applying any action to it. He leaned forward and brushed his nose against Jack's ear, tilting his head to accommodate Jack's short height and the odd angle they were at and sucked in a sharp breath as they both gazed into the other's eyes and slowly closed the distance between them.

Aster bristled when they were seconds from initiating a kiss and of course they were disturbed. He snarled like an animal, making Jack jump out of his peripheral vision as he turned his heated glare to whoever had the _gall_ to knock on the open bedroom door. His hackles lowered, though, when he saw his mother standing in the doorway with her eyes wide before a smirk curled her lips, which then turned into a relieved smile before she dashed into the room with a speed that could've fooled anyone into thinking she wasn't deathly sick.

Jack had stepped away from Bunny the _second_ he'd heard that snarl and was amazing to see that very crazed, animalistic, look to Bunny's eyes shoot to the forefront before it flickered away when those green eyes landed on someone who looked a little bit like Bunny. He became convinced it was Bunny's mother, though, when he saw those green eyes. Jack then raised his brows when the woman dashed forward with tears brimming her eyes along with a wide, seemingly relieved, smile on her face as she began that strange mixture of happy laughter while profusely crying. Jack's brows knit together and he raised a hand to scratch his head—baffled.

He watched as Bunny tried to settle his mother down and then watched as he turned into seemingly a child again as he rolled his eyes, bickered with her in that family-only tone that was both insulting yet loving and then watched as Bunny's mother walked off to the closet and returned with a circlet that had a wide array of jewels adorning it. He watched as Bunny's mother lovingly sat it on his head and then gave his cheek a light kiss.

As he watched this he had a moment to think about what had just passed between Bunny and him. It certainly wasn't something _normal_, that much he knew. It was…ignited by something, like the two in combination resembled a flint and tinder and when they cracked together a spark ignited and had lit a weak flame. He shook that off and instead turned his attention back to the person who stepped up to him, one of her hands laced around the crook of Bunny's arm.

"Jack Frost?" She asked in an accented voice. "I am Lillian Bunnymund-North."

"Queen Bunn—"

"Dear, just call me Lillian." She cut him off with a quick smile, huffing in a sharp breath and blinking furiously again. "I can't _wait_ to talk to you tomorrow."

Aster chose that moment to step in and intercede. "Jack, this is my mother. When yer not at mah side Ah'd appreciate it if ya were at hers. But for the time being we have a party ta get too and as it stands we're already fairly late."

Jack nodded and Aster watched as he stayed a careful distance next to them as he led them through the halls to the ballroom. Aster then had to break off shortly after making his entrance, being swept off into the crowd and having to act like the social butterfly he so distained. He smiled when he needed to, joked when it was called for and answered questions to the best of his ability when it was needed. Then he was swept off by the odd Princess for a dance, hell even a few Princes had started asking him for dances now, and then when he finally caught a break he smirked and lifted his nose into the air to track down Jack.

Jack had been a proper wallflower the entire time, watching and wishing he could steal _everything_ that wasn't bolted down, but he wouldn't—no _couldn't_. It wasn't just because he was powerless—though that didn't help—it was due to Bunny…who was walking up to him. Jack straightened in surprise and froze, blinking stupidly and not registering it when Bunny held out his hand to him with a quick grin.

"May Ah have this dance?" Bunny asked, looking as if he was forcing the smile he wore in order to hide the nervous look that Jack was going to associate with having to deal with rejection.

Jack shrugged. "What the hell, it's _your_ toes that'll be black and blue in the morning."

Aster grinned when Jack agreed, sucking in a breath and whisking him out onto the dance floor for a slow waltz. He chuckled when he realized Jack had _no_ idea what he was doing and then Aster set away to giving him brief, quick, directions that led to Jack being able to haphazardly fumble his way through the steps. Aster, however, loved every moment of it—even if his toes _would_ be black and blue in the morning. He led Jack one last time around the ballroom and as the song began to end a crash sounded out, followed by a scream.

Jack had but a moment to react when he watched as Bunny's eyes widened as they darted to something behind him and then Jack found himself being tossed aside and had to watch as Bunny reacted quickly to the assailant who had a sharply curved blade that was marked with sharply edged notches. Bunny made quick work of the assailant, letting the man lunge forward with the knife and letting out a sharp grunt when it sliced across his side. Jack's eyes widened as he watched Bunny then grapple the man's arm, disarm him and then a sharp crack sounded out followed by a pop as the man let out a scream of pain. Unfortunately that distraction caused Jack to forget that where there was one assassin, there was always the possibility of another.

Aster handed the man he'd just grappled the knife and broke the arm of off to Pitch who held the man with just as unyielding of a grip as Aster had and then his eyes immediately scanned the area for Jack. His eyes widened when he realized Jack wasn't in the room and people were screaming and running around in havoc around them. He tuned into his keener senses to try to see if he could filter out some of the noise and then he heard it—a sharp cracking followed by a grunt of exertion followed by a yelp. Aster bounded forward, twirling the blade in his hand that held markings from his Tribe and rushed into the entry—halting dead when he saw what was in front of him.

Jack was pinned to the stairs, using a long-necked candelabra with multiple stems to block the downward swipe of a hooded man's sword. Aster, a flare of primal rage shooting through him as he realized his Mate was threatened, let out a ferocious growling snarl and shifted, ripping his clothes as his Pooka form burst forth and pushed off from where he was on his powerful hind legs. He cleared the room in a single bound, tackling the being to the ground and then tumbling with the man who grunted from the initial impact. Aster ignored the stabbing pain in his side and swiped with his front claws when they split after banging into a wall and recovered fairly quickly along with the man, followed by a swift—powerful—kick that threatened to disembowel the man should his hind feet's claws had met his stomach.

Instead the kick landed just short and the man escaped most of the deadly impact of that kick. Aster's claws raked against the marble flooring, clicking dangerously as he hunched low, bared his teeth in a snarl and felt his hackles rise as his ears dropped low. A rumbling growl echoed out through the room and then the man lurched to his feet, Aster lurched forward in another attempt to cross the room in a single bound. He had no reasoning behind his attack: only that he saw red—which was exactly why he made a rookie mistake.

Jack gasped, watching as the hooded man quickly dug out a small dagger and impaled it into Bunny's side. Jack lurched forward as he watched Bunny's body slump to the ground as red pooled from both his sides, the hooded man using everyone's panic against them to slip out through the way he had busted in.

* * *

To **Jimbob Delilah** (There that better? You have a last name now XD If you want me to stop I will, just ask hehe): Don't fret too much over the dom/sub thing - it'll pass soon as the Mating bond has stopped fluctuating (more on this in Chap 4). As you found out above his hair is white, but it was covered in a tar - like mud/dirt combo from not bathing for awhile :D. And omg you love my face, I'm flattered XD Thank you for reviewing so consistently!

To **Shanatic**: We did the Cap 'Murica charade, you got your picture of Dr. King Schultz holding a tiger cub (I D'aww every time I see that photo btw) and then you got your ping-pong table/desk story. Also yea Aster met Jack!

To **Ultravioletlex**: Good Sandlot reference, A+. Awesomeness? Pssshaw you flatter me, I am mediocre at best. You squee and giggle? Mwahahahahahaha. More flattery that makes me blush XD OMG I love you guys when you review about how you react to each Chapter haha it gives me goose-bumps.

To **yey**: I channeled Jack in that Chapter, yes ;D Jack did escape (in a way) and Pitch pranks are sure to come as Jack begins life in the Castle :) Also yes, Bunny will begin courting Jack.

To **Kayla** (Now **Good Witch of Babble**): As far as I'm concerned you can make a requests for it if you want. You were my _first_, thorough, reviewer for Manny's Moonlight and the first person to really kick my ass into gear after I was seconds from giving up. So if you want mpreg, feel free to demand it - course I'll twist it for the story my way. :) Also it's not stressful to add that into this story, so don't fret about that. I'll get to Jack's last name in the next Chapter actually so hold your horses there lovely. I answered the next part above (as you've read) and as for the maids that's coming too in the next Chapter :) I urge you to write your story. You're a very insightful person who is surprisingly well structured in their reviews and I am honestly curious to know what a story from you would be like :D So I hope you do post one up and I would be absolutely honored if you allowed me the privilege to edit it for you!

Finally to **Sticksandstones**: I think I heard your squeal on the Pacific coast haha. I'm glad I kept Jack's hair color a mystery, made for the reveal that much better in the chapter above, didn't it?

As always, I shall return! I'm back...and leaving you guys with a cliff hanger because I'm a dick ;D Night chums! Be up in like...5 hours probably.


	5. Chapter 4 - Walk in the Park

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

However! I do own this bloody plot and this damn world along with a few well thought out ideas.

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Chapter 4: Walk in the Park

**Summary**: It looks like Aster will survive, but what does his mother want to discuss with Jack? How can something as simple as a walk settle frayed nerves? And just what does Jack find out about Aster's reputation?

"Jack?" He jerked from his spot next to Bunny, gasping in panic when he failed to summon an ice dagger and let panic slip through his usually stoic features before he realized it was Bunny's mother who had set a gentle hand on his shoulder and had calmly tried to coax him from his slumber.

He winced at the crick in his neck and rubbed it, sucking in a sharp breath between his teeth and then letting a yawn forth. He turned his gaze from Bunny to his mother, who looked between them both with eyes filled with worry. Jack felt her hand on his shoulder, giving it reassuring rubs and then he watched as she tilted her head to the side.

"Come, Sandy says he's stable and he'll be on his feet in no time." Lillian told him with a cool demeanor. "You should take a shower and get some fresh clothes on you. I'm sure Bunny wouldn't mind if you borrowed some of his lazier clothes."

Jack regretfully agreed, even though he was worried sick about Bunny he really _did _need another shower and especially a change of clothes. He could feel the crispy dried blood on his knees where he'd knelt in the puddle of freshly spilled blood, yet he couldn't kick how guilty he felt leaving Bunny's side to do something as simple as showering and changing…but then again Bunny _did_ look a million times better than he _had_ just the other night. "Does he heal faster?"

"Mmhm." Lillian gently wrapped her arm around Jack's and lifted him from his seat. "He picked that trait up from his father, luckily. He broke his arm when he was sixteen and was using it again within a week at full strength. A stab wound like that? It'll be gone within four days. Of course he'll be a pain in the ass to keep _in_ bed till then. He always wants to move too quickly after being hurt, forgets that sometimes the inside takes a little longer to heal than the outside does."

Jack smirked as he was led from the Hospital ward of the Castle. He allowed Lillian to show him back to Bunny's room, followed by him taking a fast shower and changing into the spare clothes that Lillian had dug out for him along with—and he sighed in relief when he discovered this—his staff. He seemed to hone in on the thing and the second his hands touched the withered wood he felt a spark of life within himself again.

The shackles could nullify _his_ magic, but the staff could act as a generator for him until he managed to convince Bunny to take the damn shackles off. He wasn't at his full power, but at least he could do little things like fly with his chilled wind and summon small tufts of snow.

It wasn't much, but it'd keep him from exhaustion.

Lillian tilted her head in front of him, a frown knitting her brow before she shook it off and held out her arm. "Jack, if you wouldn't mind, would you do me the honor of escorting me on my morning walk?"

Jack glanced warily towards the door; worried about Bunny waking up and him not being there…which was _completely_ ridiculous. Jack shook his head and took up the offered arm with confusion. _Why_ did he _care_ if Bunny woke up with him there or not? What was the matter with him? How had his behavior, which was solely based around his own survival, suddenly turn on its head and begin to focus on Bunny?! Not to mention how outright drawn to him he was. Every time Jack saw him it felt as if there were magnets between them that just seemed to draw them together without either realizing it. Jack sucked in a sharp breath and _hated_ how distracting Bunny suddenly was.

He was so engrossed with his thoughts he never even noticed that Lillian had already started them on a soothing walk around the inside of the Castle's walls. He felt a spark of power from his staff the second it hit the cool ground outside followed shortly by his bare feet picking up the chill of the ground. He sucked in a revitalizing breath from the cold Spring air encompassing him and realized just how weak he was without his magic coursing through his veins. It unnerved him and made him immediately realize that if he had _had_ his magic Bunny never would've been hurt aside from the small scratch at his left side compared to the life threatening dagger to his right.

"If you don't mind me asking, Jack, what brought you to the Kingdom?" Lillian began pleasantly.

Jack sent a quick grin to her. "Well originally I came here to do two things, steal something pricey _and _visit my family, even if they _are _nothing more than my foster family, who work in your Castle as maids and a stable boy. At least that was what the last letter I got from them said, I think it was about a year after North and Bunny had saved them—along with me might I add. They had the last name of Bennett."

He watched as Lillian laughed quietly with that remark and then nodded. "Ah yes, the Bennett's. They're some of our more favored servants. Hard workers and because of that we give them as many days off as they require if they're sick or unwell." Then she cleared her throat and asked suddenly, "Jack, have you noticed anything odd between you and Aster of late?"

Jack had immediately slipped back into his thoughts after answering Lillian, but when she asked that startling question it drew his attention away from his thoughts.

Jack halted in surprise, turning a curious gaze to Lillian and wondering how she even came to that obscurely accurate description. He shook his head to clear it and averted his gaze, unwilling to discuss this with her until he figured it out himself. Not to mention he _barely_ knew the woman, even if she was pleasantly nice.

He watched as Lillian turned her green gaze to him and then she pursed her lips, her eyebrows rising in acceptance at his resilience to discuss this odd situation with her. "Well…then how about I give you a brief summary on how I met Bunny's father?"

Jack narrowed his eyes, twirling his staff in his other hand as if it was weightless and then nodding, keeping his voice fairly neutral as he said, "Sure."

Lillian's mood seemed to improve when he shrugged and gave her that neutral answer. Honestly he didn't want to deny her the story, but he wasn't exactly enthralled with the idea either. He hoped she understood that he wasn't really ready to discuss _anything_ right now. His thoughts were on Bunny and how worried he was. He didn't want to talk, or listen—he wanted to _think_. He didn't want to have to be worried about Bunny, or listening to the Queen's story of how she had met Bunny's biological father…nor did he want any assassins popping up from nowhere and disrupting his thought processes either. Then he halted with a scary realization when his mind tracked to the assassins from last night.

The second assassin had been from the Southern Kingdom. _He_ was from the Southern Kingdom.

He gulped, realizing that if _anyone_ looked at it close enough then he could be seen as an accomplice even though he had no idea who that man even was.

"Jack? Dear?" Lillian turned to face him, halting in her walk and carefully watching him. "What is it? You know you can tell me anything. I may be the Queen, but that doesn't make me a heartless person."

Jack averted his gaze from hers, gritting his teeth. He must've been showing his feelings as openly as a cracked open picture book. Usually he kept his feelings bottled up and hidden behind a smiling face and a cocky attitude…now he seemed to be slipping. Or maybe it was just what Lillian did. He looked over to her, seeing the genuine concern on her face and realizing that was it. She really _was_ just that caring of a person, one who didn't make snap judgments about a person until she'd seen everything about them. Jack sucked in a sharp breath, glancing downward at his bare feet.

"I'm scared. I'm scared for Bunny and I'm scared for myself." Jack stated, feeling the weight leave his shoulders as he admitted this. "That second assassin was from _my_ Kingdom. Anyone who knows my past will automatically think that _I_ had something to do with the attack, especially since it happened the night _I_ turned up."

Lillian, to his surprise, snorted out a quick laugh. "Jack, it _wasn't_ just a Southern Kingdom assassin. There were two, one from my late husband's Tribe—the Tribe Aster is from—and the other was from your Southern Kingdom—who we are nearly facing war with, so it's understandable one would come from there."

Jack froze, his eyes widening with that information and then he turned quickly to face her. "No! You can't go to war with the South. There are too many people who are _already_ suffering down there!"

Lillian gently took his arm and gripped it, setting away to trying to calm him. "Jack, we are considering war in order to _help_ the people of the Southern Kingdom. We do _not_ want to hurt any innocents; neither North nor Aster would allow that. But, we also cannot stand idly by any longer while King Krampus allows his Kingdom to suffer. Our underground escape routes are slowly dwindling and are surely being cut off by the Sentries and a few less than savory individuals who had weasel their ways into them. Our system _had_ been working, Jack, but now we're running out of options and some individuals in the South are being held there against their wills—which inadvertently causes their deaths."

Jack ground his teeth. The South had _enough_ to worry about with the constant Blizzard that was devastating everything around them—hell they couldn't even walk outside at night past a certain time—they didn't need _war_ on the horizon as well. Jack's chest clenched in worry over that as well. Yet another thing he needed to worry about…hell he hadn't even _seen_ Sophie, Jamie or his foster mother yet and he _knew_ they worked in this Castle, yet he worried about _their_ safety as well. Jack huffed, shaking his head and stuffing all those worried to the corner to worry over at night when he could think in peace.

"Now," Lillian took in a sharp breath and let it out, seeming to shake off the strained moment and then directing a light smile towards Jack, "about how I met Orab, Bunny's father."

At the same time Aster woke up in the Hospital wing of the Castle. Sandy stood next to him, his round face with pleasant, rounded, features giving him a caring smile as the silent Doctor sat away to peeling back the gauze pad at his side. Aster winced, the pain from the wound coming more from the tape that was being pulled back from his fur than the actual pressure needed for Sandy to pull the tape up to check the wound. Aster writhed on the shabby bed and then set away to scenting the air when he'd caught of whiff of a familiar scent that drew his attention. Jack had been in the room, he could smell the freshly fallen snow mixed with vanilla. He wondered where Jack had gone too until he smelled his mother's scent in the room and automatically knew _who_ had stolen Jack from his side.

He was both relieved and worried about that. His mother, though a kind soul, tended to push subjects that she really had no business in, and he was _sure_ she'd seen him and Jack nearly kiss last night and was drawing conclusions…even if they _were_ the right ones.

Aster sucked in a sharp breath when Sandy gently prodded the wound and Aster growled towards him when he gave him a raised brow as if to silently ask: "Does this hurt?"

"Yes it hurts y'gumbie!" Aster growled out, shying away from Sandy's fingers. "What is it with ya lot and needin' ta poke, prod and play with _every_ fresh injury ya come across?!"

Sandy rolled his eyes and gently reapplied the gauze pad after wrangling Aster back into his arm range. Then he stepped to the other side and began his prodding of his other side, which turned out to be _much_ more painful than he could have imagined. He sucked in sharp breaths and hissed them out as Sandy prodded the tender area around the wound and then shook his head and stepped away. Aster wrung his hands in the bed sheets, hearing his claws tear into the thin material and then he tried to bail from the bed the _second_ he saw a needle in Sandy's hand.

"Oh no, no, no!" Aster pleaded helplessly as Sandy wrestled his weakened self to the bed, carefully avoiding his powerful hind legs. Aster growled towards him, hating that the Doctor had learned from his previous few mistakes when it came to caring for him, mainly keeping a _good _distance away from his powerful legs, and then he jabbed that needle into his arm—having memorized where one of his primary veins in his arm was without needing more than a small shaven clump of fur that was only an inch in diameter. Aster flinched feeling the pinch, snarling angrily and letting out grunts of pain as his sides pulled painfully. "Sandy, damnit ya know Ah don't…like…"

Aster found himself lulling back onto the bed, his eyelids getting heavy and then he had a moment of clarity before the painkiller kicked in and he managed a, "Fuckin' needles…painkillersh…"

A cool breeze drifted by and Jack was idly looking around the perimeter of the grounds as Bunny's mother kept her light grip on his out held arm. In all honesty, the woman really _was_ pleasant, and he couldn't figure out how someone like Bunny—a grumbling, short tempered, ranger-like being and stubborn man—could have _ever_ been related to this woman. She was so calm, cool and collected—not to mention she was elegant—compared to the polar opposite of her son. It was baffling how things like that happened.

"As someone from the Pole Kingdom, just above this one, I had never had the culture shock that would follow when my father and I visited the Tribes on one of their few open walled visits. It was during a time when none of the Tribes were within any civil wars and one could easily cross borders or explore the area without the fear of death because you walked onto the wrong bit of land." Lillian began, calmly leading him forward and smiling lightly as the memories seemed to pass in her eyes. She sucked in a breath and let out a small laugh. "I was walking between the Lupine Tribe and the Pooka Tribe, idly mind you because I was taking my time to take in the area around me, and then I stopped dead in my tracks when I heard a bush shake followed by a rumbling growl."

Jack raised a brow, turning to gaze at her and seeing the brief flush of fear cross her features before it was wiped away with a humorous expression. He grinned when she barked out a quick laugh, the sound so genuine and pure that he'd have sworn it came from a child.

"I took three steps before I was tackled by a giant, six foot tall rabbit shaped man that was rubbing up against me, nuzzling my neck and purring like a cat." Jack barked out a laugh the second he heard that, chuckling and nodding his head as he remembered the way Bunny had acted when he had first tackled him. "I think the oddest part of that whole meeting was that strange…buckling? Like I _wanted_ that being to do more before it passed in a fleeting moment." Jack's eyes widened with that, making the smile wipe from his face and beginning to get a sense of dread in his center. This was getting too close for comfort. "From then on I thought of nobody beyond that furred individual and when we had to split that evening it was quite possibly the hardest thing I think I ever had to do. Luckily, Orab came later that day to ask my father for my hand…and persisted through even though it was denied the first six times. It had something to do with my father not wanting his only daughter stuck in a running waterless wasteland. He said fetching water with a pail from a well was too demeaning for a Princess, but he finally agreed to it when Orab successfully stole me one night right from under his nose." Jack turned a surprised look to Lillian who chuckled and shrugged. "It's the way they go about courting, by the way—if their initial offer is declined that is, especially if it's their Mate. Orab broke some of the rules by asking six times when only one is required, but he wanted to show respect to my father in order to gain some in return. It failed of course, which was why he turned to outright kidnapping me." Lillian laughed heartily. "I can only imagine my father's face. He went off to get our plates of food and then he came back to me missing from the table, not gone all of five minutes. But I didn't put up much of a fight, and I've never regretted going with him that night."

Jack raised a brow, glancing to her and wondering why her father would believe the Tribe lands were a water-less wasteland. He briefly remembered the Tribe lands as he had flown over them and he'd seen plenty of rivers and lakes, not to mention the communities looked well cared for even if they were nothing more than mud bricks with dried hay for a roof. Sure, they weren't as put together and fancy as this Kingdom's City or as desolate as the South, but the Tribe lands had their charms. For instance those lands had vast open fields, a large range of shrubs with varying climates and warm weather thanks to constant sunlight. It was an Oasis for anyone who was looking for the basics and didn't mind having to add a little elbow grease to the process. He certainly wouldn't have minded stopping by and spending some time within the borders, but he had to get to a Kingdom and steal _something_ for his 'family' in the South. His 'family' of course was nothing more than a band of miscreants who needed _something_ to trade for food, blankets and extra materials to build shelters with. They were the group of anarchists, ones who openly fought or annoyed the Crown, who were trying to survive and get people safely from the City—and if Jack had to steal something for them then he would damn well do it.

But he hadn't expected to run into _this_ situation.

Lillian then sucked in a breath, smiling happily. "Don't get me wrong, dear, I love North—always had, but when Orab stumbled into my life he became the center of it without even meaning too. Then Aster came into our lives not a year after our marriage." Jack turned to smirk over at Lillian, whose eyes glittered warmly. "We didn't even know if he'd _be_ a Pooka warrior or not, seeing as he was mixed heritage—we didn't believe that he would even be able to pick up the magic required, or if he even _had_ it."

Jack nodded. "Why did you think he wasn't capable of picking up the magic required to be a Pooka because of his mixed heritage?"

Lillain shrugged. "Every Pooka warrior came from the womb with _some_ marking on them. There was usually s_omething_, almost like a birthmark or something along those lines, which marked them as a warrior where they could be properly trained in the art as soon as possible in order to protect the Tribe. Aster came out without a single mark and didn't develop his forehead tattoo until he had left the Tribe lands. Not a day after arriving here in the North did that mark develop and then he hit his teens and _really_ began showing signs just before he shifted forms."

Jack listened to this, wondering what the signs were but deciding he'd hedge that particular subject later—preferably with Bunny…especially if it was embarrassing. Jack grinned briefly with that thought and then chuckled lightly. Oh he was going to have _fun_ with that conversation.

Lillian then smirked towards him, nudging his side with her elbow. "Case and point _Jack_," She added some emphasis to his name, "I'm telling you this to let you know that _should_ you feel anything for my son then you may want to give it a chance. There's something about being a Pooka's Mate that is unmatched, even if you _do_ manage to find another. They're…_tuned_ into their Mates. They _know_ what you need, when you need it and they will care for you, love and adorn you with their undivided attention whenever they're not needed to be Warriors. The same could be said for their Mates. Take me, for instance. I knew when Orab needed something without him needing to ask for it. I think the most startling thing I ever had to do with Orab was hug him and ensure him that though Aster wasn't a Pooka warrior he was still _everything_ we would want in a child." Jack heard Lillian's tone drop and he saw the sadness on her face. "It broke Orab's heart when Aster showed no signs of being a warrior when he had been born. Made him feel as if he had failed me and the Tribe." A sad sigh escaped her mouth. "If only he'd have survived…he'd have been so proud of him."

Jack, in a fleeting moment of familiarity, stopped Lillian and gave her a quick hug. That hug held everything he couldn't voice. He knew all too well about being the 'failure' child—at least those were parts of the snippets he could remember of his childhood. He had always wondered why he couldn't recall anything past the age of seven that night after he'd helped Bunny and North, but he'd never taken the proper time to wallow on those worries. Instead he was wrapped up into the whirlwind of life living within the confines of the rough and tumble, dog eat dog, world of the South. Jack stepped back, gently giving Lillian's hands a squeeze and then settling her hand back on the crook of his arm as she wiped away a few errant tears.

"So Jack tell me, am I _anywhere_ near what you and my Bunny are experiencing?" Jack sent her a narrowed eyed glare as she smiled up at him mirthfully.

Jack frowned, nodding his head. "Yea. Great. So apparently we're…what? Mates?"

Lillian shrugged. "I'm assuming so. The question is what are you going to do with the power that that title holds? Are you going to shun it and run or are you going to embrace it and see just what you both are capable of?"

With that they reached the final leg of the walk and Jack froze when he saw the shadow-like man awaiting by the door they came in through. Jack tensed, but Lillian gave his forearm a reassuring squeeze and stepped forward.

"Koz, good morning." Lillian stated warmly and then moved forward quickly and gathered the man's arm in hers. Jack snickered as he watched Lillian swoop the man off, the look of disgruntlement on his face as Lillian then said, "Would you be a dear and take me back to my bedroom please."

The man named Koz narrowed his eyes on Lillian and halted briefly, turning and pitting an unyielding glare to Jack. "May I ask for your name?"

"Jack. Jack Frost." Jack replied easily.

"Any relation to King Krampus?" The man asked.

"None, I just like dirtying his last name." Jack replied easily with a cocky smirk. "I mean after all, there's no better way to insult a King than to tack it onto a lowly thief's name."

The man in front of him, for a brief moment, smirked—but much like the shadows he seemed to imitate it was gone as quickly as it had appeared. "Pitch Black. You will do well do be on time for your etiquette lessons with me tomorrow morning after Prince Aster has released you from his side. As his personal servant you are required to attend various parties and sometimes dinners," Pitch's eyes wandered Jack, "and I'm going to assume you have little to _no_ etiquette."

Jack frowned towards the man and watched as he turned, Bunny's mother referring to the man as Koz over and over again, making him confused as to what the man's name actually _was_. Jack then sent a glare to the back of his head, used his staff's magic to summon up a small ball of snow and tossed it into the back of his head. He turned the corner and headed for the Hospital ward, barely catching the man's reaction to a snowball to the back of his head before an indignant shout sounded out.

Aster's ear twitched when he heard the bellowing; "Frost!" sound out through the hallway. Without thinking he lurched from the hospital bed, ignoring the pained pulls on each of his sides along with how unstable the world around him was as he stumbled forward from the room. He banged into the wall opposite the door, yanking out the IV needle in his arm in the process when he heard the clattering of the pole behind him. He pushed off from the wall when he had dug the IV needle out and barely saw Sandy frantically waving out of his peripheral vision before he hunched down on all fours and bolted through the hallway—claws clicking on the marble floor dangerously.

He wasn't thinking right, that much he knew, but his instincts were override everything at the moment along with the worry that his Mate was in danger again. He skidded out onto the entryway and collided into Jack, both of them grunting from the impact before Aster righted himself soon as he got his shaky limbs under him and let his hackles rise again as he searched for the danger using all of his senses.

"Woah! Bunny, calm down!" Jack coaxed from below him, reaching a shaky hand out and carefully placing it on his shoulder.

Aster snorted out a breath of hot air when he felt the room was safe enough before he had to fight to keep his shaking, weak, limbs from buckling below his own weight. There was _no_ way he was going to show weakness in front of anyone but Jack, even his own family and friends—at least not if he could help it. Aster straightened from all fours and winced at the shooting, searing, pain that laced upwards from his middle—but refused to hunch over to show that it bothered him. His attention was drawn from his worries when he heard some snorting laughter next to him. He directed a withering look to Jack who was curled on the floor sniggering.

"You're naked again." Jack managed to crack out between each—and he couldn't _believe_ he was about to apply this term to a grown man—giggle.

"Ah'm not naked!" Aster shouted indignantly, shaking off Sandy's hands when the man came rushing out into the room with a reprimanding look to his pleasant features followed by his hands immediately motioning to the gauze pads that were now riddled with blood. "Ah'm fine Sandy."

Actually, he wasn't. The world took a quick dip but he was too stubborn to let it affect him. Instead he stayed upright and tried to act as if nothing was wrong. Jack then stood from the floor, still sniggering with that shit eatin' grin on his face, and then looped Aster's left arm over his shoulders.

"Come on Cottontail, you _need_ to get back to bed." Jack told him this with a reprimanding tone before he started leading them off.

Aster struggled to find the strength to walk back to the room and then fought to keep from showing any signs of hurt until Sandy left the room after giving him another shot—which was faced much easier with both his Mate in the room and his need to prove that nothing was wrong. He rolled around once or twice before he found a somewhat comfortable position on his less injured side and gazed towards Jack, who he had just noticed was wearing some of his clothes.

Aster grinned, stupidly might he add thanks to the painkillers, as his eyes began to close and then said, "Jacky, Ah like ya in mah clothes."

He cracked an eye enough to see a blush adorn Jack's cheeks before it was covered up by a soft smile followed by Jack raking his fingers through his hair, making him nuzzle towards that hand and then fall asleep.

Jack huffed after Bunny fell into a deep sleep, glaring at the idiot for re-opening the stitches at his sides. He then stood up from the bed, watching as Bunny's brows knit soon as his touch left before his nose nuzzled into the area that Jack's arm had just left on his pillow. He sucked in a sharp breath, wondering if he could even _find_ his family around, especially since Bunny was going to be out again for another three hours. He straightened from leaning over Bunny's bed and stepped through the halls of the Castle looking for any signs of his foster family—his _original_ intent to coming to the Kingdom along with stealing something of importance.

He chewed his lower lip, halting briefly to try to figure out where he was now after ten minutes of aimlessly wandering and then heard something that sparked his interest. His brows knit together and his curiosity got the better of him as he began to eavesdrop on a couple of maids.

"Well he sure as hell is good in the sack, but the _licking_?" The woman chortled with laughter. "I don't think I have _ever_ slept with a man who immediately set away to _licking_ me after a good session."

"Well, they _do_ call him the 'beast' of the Kingdom for a reason." The other chastised with a condescending tone to her voice. Jack frowned, hearing the distaste on her tongue. "Prince Aster," The woman sounded as if she was spitting the word out as if it left a foul taste in her mouth, "should live out in the stables like the animal he is instead of within these walls."

Jack's mouth fell open. He couldn't _believe_ he had just heard that. Where did _she_ get off saying something that cruel? Bunny seemed as if he was a perfectly _good_ Prince if the Kingdom was anything to go by. That and everyone seemed pleasant enough towards him. He also couldn't ignore that pang of jealousy that shot through him after the initial burn from the older of the two women. Bunny had _slept _with one of them? Why? If they disliked him so much then _why _would they do that in the first place?! Jack knelt down next to the door and listened for more, deciding that as soon as he got his powers back he was going to make _both_ their lives a living hell.

"Oh and did you hear the newest gossip?" The maid who had talked about the licking asked, her tone sounding extra catty. "They're saying his 'Mate', whatever _that_ is, was that thief he bailed from jail."

He narrowed his eyes and peeked around the corner to gaze at a small framed woman with a heart shaped face and hazel eyes. The other was heavy set with salt and pepper hair that was tied into a bun. Both of them wore the same black dress with a white apron and the same pair of matching flat soled shoes.

Jack had to admit, he hated them both and he didn't even know them.

"Of _course_ he'd pick up some deviant as a 'Mate'." The older woman rolled her eyes and scoffed. "Not only that but isn't the thief a male? How are they going to have an heir? They're going to leave us hanging, almost like North before he," Jack heard the woman shudder at this point, "announced that _animal _as his heir after he took that Pole reject whore as his wife." Jack then heard the woman tsk. "This Kingdom is going to go to hell if North dies. I halfway hoped those assassins had _succeeded_ in killing the Prince, that way we wouldn't have to worry about the Kingdom in _his _hands."

Jack was about to stand up and interceded before he heard a strict throat clearing from the other side of the room followed by a clipped, enunciated accent, that belong to Pitch. "Sarah, Lucy, words such as those can be seen as treason. Nor will I allow you two to insult Prince Aster without proper punishment—especially since _I _actually know him better than you, Lucy, who has scorned him the second he came into the Kingdom and you, Sarah, who did little more than _sleep with him like a harlot_." Jack grinned, cheering internally for Pitch. "I'll have you both know your vacation days have been striked from the record and you both will be polishing the silver of the _entire_ building and the silverware as well as punishment. Do _not_ let me heard you ladies speaking ill of _our_ Prince again else the punishment may very well be janitorial duty to the barracks—or worse yet the Southern coal mines."

Jack's eyes widened. The Southern coal mines were notorious for killing people off in the most torturous way possible. Below zero temperatures, ice sentries acting as cruel taskmasters...Jack shuddered. The longest life on record for that place had been a week, the shortest was upon arrival. Of course half the trick was _getting _to the place. The men who ran that particular slave trade were as cruel and heartless as the very ice sentries they'd enchanted with a half assed spell. Jack pressed back against the side of the doorway when he saw Pitch emerge from the interior of the room he'd just dished out a lecture to that was impressive, to say the least, then halted and turned to face him with just as stern look of a look as he had delivered to the women.

"And you, Mr. Frost, are not allowed another freebie. Throw another snowball at my head and I will have you cleaning the horse stalls during the night for a _month_." Pitch then clasped his hands behind his back and settled an unwavering gaze to Jack, making him want to press his back up against the wall to try to melt through it. "Mr. Frost, one of the assassins was from _your _Kingdom. If you're honest with me now I will not turn your head into a vase for my bedroom but I need to know," Pitch leaned forward, brows knitting together dangerously as he set a threatening gaze to Jack that had him hunching into himself like a turtle, "_are _you a danger to Prince Aster? Did you work with that assassin to get him into the grounds by using yourself as a distraction?"

Jack's eyes shot wide and he grit his teeth, stepping from his hunched position and straightening his back and shoulders, gripping his staff in both hands tightly while pitting a heated gaze right back at Pitch. "No, I'd never work with _them_, let alone would I let _myself_ be the distraction. I'm a thief, _Pitch_, not a puppet."

Pitch narrowed his eyes. "So be it, but if you have lied to me, Mr. Frost—"

"It's _Jack._" He emphasized, getting into Pitch's face and nearly growling that out between his teeth.

"Jack." Pitch then nodded and turned on his heel. "Should you be searching for your family, information Queen Lillian made me privy too, you will take the hallway to the end, a sharp right followed by ten doors. You will see the Bennett name on the door."

Jack, at first, had huddled into himself nervously again when Pitch had laid that gaze on him. But after hearing the directions Jack shuffled forward meekly and followed the directions to the door that held a simple 'Bennett' carved into it. Jack lifted a tentative hand before retracting it and biting his lower lip as he wrung his hands on his staff in nerves. He garnered his nerves and knocked on the door. It creaked open and inside was Ms. Bennett, looking familiar in a flustered state before her eyes widened and she gasped.

Jack welcomed the hug, wincing as his hair was tugged at lovingly and laughing as she immediately set away to shooting off questions about his hair and eyes before he told her he didn't have an answer to it. Then his arms were filled again with Sophie, who had grown considerably since the last time he saw her as a babe and then started jumping excitedly when he saw Jamie step from around the corner with a quizzical look on his face. Jack and Jamie then proceeded with a man hug that quickly turned awkward before the two split and grinned sheepishly towards one another in embarrassment.

Jack stayed with them for about two hours, asking questions about their well being and finding out that they were given frequent days off, were cared for immaculately and then Jack found out that both Tooth and Sophie had become extremely close friends. Time seemed to fly by and Jack filled them in on what happened and why he wasn't rotting in a jail cell. Jack struggled to find his way back to the Hospital ward before he stumbled upon it seemingly by accident.

He looked about the room, sighed when he saw a chair and grabbed the back of it. He tugged it, using a _lot_ of strength to do it, to the side of Bunny's bed and sat down in it. He propped his right leg up on his left knee and let his gaze wander about the room before he stopped and looked at Bunny's paw—the claws thankfully retracted and looking less lethal than they _had _the past two times he'd seen them. He adjusted his position and scooted to the edge of the chair, feeling a sudden exhaustion from everything that had happened, and laid his head on the edge of the bed after gripping the paw in his hand.

He let his heavy lids droop down, falling asleep after feeling Bunny's paw squeeze his hand absently.

* * *

To **Shanatic**: I know...it hurt me to stab him, but twas needed for the thickening of the plot! Plus he shouldn't complain he gets to have Jack coo over him.

To **Ultravioletlex**: I...halfway want a Youtube video of you reading my stories. I think that'd be priceless XD I'm apparently not off that rocker yet unfortunately :( Good thing is **Shanatic** influenced another one-shot that'll pop up...y'know when I can spend more than five minutes away from the loo.

To **yey**: Yea, he loves his Jacky! O.o I do wonder where Jack is going to sleep (like we don't know already). LOL you read my one-shot! I had a stroke of genius at the end there...wish it'd come back...

To **Jimbob Delilah** (cracks up): BUNNICULA?! HAHAHAHA OMG. Seriously that had me in stitches for like an hour (yes I am that easily amused). I have brown hair too, but I gots da blue eyes. I'm glad you liked my half-assed one-shots haha. There's another coming apparently, along with one that was requested by a reader (there's another hole I dug myself into).

To **The Good Witch of Babble**: So you wish it, so shall it be! I already know where to plug it in at too ;D As for Bunny's healing: he heals faster than normal due to his innate ability to essentially 'heal' or 'regrow' things that he picked up from his father. But the real question is: Who _is _the target of the assassins? LE GASP!

To** yey** (again lol): Right I snuck him in there ;D Sheriff Robin Hood, given all the power in the world to steal from the rich (who probably deserve it) and give it to the poor - all legally mwahahaha.

To **I'mBelleGoose**: D'aww thanks. I spent months digging this story up and I'm glad it's turning out unique.

Finally to **Doug**(another male?): It still feels dull to me :/ It'll pick up in the next two to three Chapters I hope.

Alright, guys, count your lucky stars that I got this out and if you don't like it...ugh I'm sorry XD Also those of you interested in helping me edit: Let me know please and thank you :)


	6. Chapter 5 -A Royal Interrogation

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

However! I do own this bloody plot and this damn world along with a few well thought out ideas.

**Peeps this is also a friendly reminder:**

**_This is a Jack/Bunny fic, there is going to be screwing_** _**between two male characters, and one of them can change into a farking 6 foot 1 inch** **rabbit**. **If this, or homosexuality in general bothers you, I highly suggest you err on the side of caution with this story if you continue to read it.**  
_

**Please note** I'm not trying to be an ass here, I'm honestly just trying to be considerate to the few who aren't comfortable with two men lovin' on one another. If I offended you with the above I do apologize, but it's my last warning so don't say I didn't warn you when the bed starts a-rockin' ;D.

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Chapter 5: A Royal Interrogation

**Summary**: Jack's itching to get back to Bunny's side, especially now since he's awake and mentally functioning, but Pitch is ever persistent in teaching him _etiquette_. Aster, on the other hand, ignores the orders for bed rest and sneaks from the Castle in order to have _his_ hand at questioning the Tribe member who tried to kill him since the Southern assassin got away. But what's in store for Aster when he returns to the castle when he was supposed to be resting?

Jack let out a _very_ annoyed growl after Pitch slapped his hand _yet again_. Jack turned an irritated glare up towards Pitch who seemed _completely_ unamused by his antics. Jack frowned when Pitch looped his hands under his arms and wretched him into the proper position, pushing his chair in and nearly slamming his shoulder blades into the back of the cushioned chair.

"Jack," Pitch chastised with a tired tone, "how many times do I have to tell you. Seat pushed _in_," with that Pitch gave the seat one more shove forward as if to emphasize it, "rear planted _firmly_ in place," Pitch then pushed Jack's shoulders down, "then shoulders to backrest."

Jack huffed angrily when Pitch manually shoved him back against the backrest of the chair—which was slowly becoming painful, cushioned backrest or not.

It had been the game for the past four hours…and Jack was getting tired of it. Hell, they hadn't even gotten to the _food_ aspect of a dinner party yet because he couldn't even get the posture right. Of course it'd be helpful if he was actually _trying_ to get the posture right. He could do it, yes; he was just naturally _resilient_ to anything Royal.

That resilience all derived from one simple fact: Jack disrespected his King, which in turn made him naturally disdain nearly all things _Royal_—and that included table manners and etiquette.

"Again, Jack." Pitch yanked the chair back, making him yelp in surprise as it was nearly yanked out right from under him. "Enter _rightly_ this time. Head held high, back and shoulders straight. Wait for the women to take their seats first, followed by you pushing in the chair of the woman next to you and _then_ you take your seat with the _proper_ position that I have forced you into _every_ time you've done this."

Jack groaned as he walked to the archway of the dining room, sending a quick glare towards the two maids who had insulted Bunny as they stood out in the hallway polishing an overly large silver vase that _had_ held some gorgeous roses that Jack wondered about. He'd never seen _green_ roses before, let alone green roses with gold along the edges of each petal. They were truly beautiful and Jack wondered where they came from before Pitch bellowed for him to enter.

Jack sucked in an annoyed breath, figuring he'd best get this particular show on the road—even if it _had_ been fun pushing literally _all_ of Pitch's buttons. He straightened his back, aligned his shoulders and stepped into the room with an air he hadn't even known he had. He watched as Pitch's dark brows rose high on his forehead as he watched him. Jack waited for Pitch to tell him when the women had sat and then pushed in the seat next to him acting as if a woman sat there. Then he made a show of flicking the tailcoat's ends upwards before he took a seat at the chair and scooted it forward with a smooth motion, straightening his back and sitting posture perfect.

He was given a clap that echoed through the dining room before Pitch glared at him. "So it was _all_ an act? You knew all this _before_ I brought you down here, didn't you? _That_ was perfect."

Jack slumped forward, watching as Pitch's eye twitched in annoyance again. He didn't know _why_ Pitch was annoyed with that. He had successfully done as Pitch had asked, why the hell _couldn't _he slump forward? He had followed everything perfectly and with an air that spoke volumes about the huge chunk of missing time in his head. Sure, he remembered being seven and running into North and Bunny, but aside from that and a few bits and pieces with the Bennett's, then he didn't remember anything. So, when Pitch asked that he didn't have an answer.

"I don't know." Jack replied, letting the honesty in that statement cut through the air between them. "I can only remember small bits and pieces of my life, Pitch. All I do know is that for some reason or another, this has already been programmed into my head…I just don't know why."

Pitch walked around him, peering towards him curiously for a moment before he then let out a sharp whistle followed by Sarah Bennett bringing in plates followed by Sophie who brought in a case that clinked as if it held silverware. Jack groaned, planting his face on the dining room table and rolling it in annoyance before Pitch's hand smacked the back of it and gripped the edge of Jack's collar yanking him up with an annoyed air before a quick smirk crossed those features and vanished behind a stern look.

"Now for the actual _food_ aspect of dinner." Pitch began, making Jack whimper.

In the meantime, Aster was up in his bedroom staring holes into the wall in front of him out of boredom. He had _no_ idea what his mother had talked to Jack about, nor did he have an explanation for waking up this morning and finding Jack's hand in his furred paw. It was nice, don't get him wrong, but _when _did Jack kick that wariness that he seemed to have around him. Hell, Jack had even given him a pleasant smile that morning when he had woken up when it came time to move Aster into his bedroom. He had shifted back into his Human shape before leaving the Hospital ward of the Castle—shifting shapes _still_ didn't wipe away that echo of a comforting feel that had been his Mate's hand in his _real_ grasp—adorning his shredded pants that looked as if a tiger had mauled their leggings before leaving its confines.

Aster sucked in an annoyed breath and felt his eye twitch. He _needed_ to move, but everyone was watching him like a hawk. He glanced to the right, watching Tooth as she idly hummed to herself and bounced her right leg while it was propped on her left, sewing together a pair of trousers that Aster had ripped and torn up when he had been younger—a pair that would work as temporary pants for Jack when he needed them. Aster pursed his lips. He _really_ needed to take Jack to the tailor and get him some clothes. Jack couldn't keep borrowing _his_ clothes, as much as he _liked_ that idea—especially because the ones he was getting were torn up or permanently stained with dirt, mud and sometimes even blood. He wondered if that would be a valid excuse to get up from bed to move.

Aster sighed, letting his head drop back and then peering towards Tooth. "Ya know _anything_ about the interrogations?"

Tooth shook her head. "Nope. Dad refuses to talk about it and mom hasn't been feeling well enough to press the matter."

Aster ground his teeth in annoyance. He wanted to know _why_ there were two assassins, from two _very_ different regions, were sent to try to kill him _and_ Jack. What was the connection that he was missing when it came to this puzzle? Aster tapped his finger on his jaw after crossing his arms and continued to glare at the wall. He had a feeling the Southern Kingdom's assassin was sent to kill him in order to halt the war that was looming on the horizon with his death, but _why_ was the Tribe member there—and _why _did the Southern assassin head for Jack first? Aster huffed with displeasure at the idea that someone was trying to kill him and his Mate as he reached for the edge of the blankets and growling towards Tooth when she slapped his hand.

"Stay put." She stated, pitting a glare on him that rivaled one of Pitch's. "You're _not_ moving from the bed till at least late tomorrow. For the crown's sake Bunny, you were nearly killed."

"It was a scratch!" Aster snapped, throwing his hand in the air and wincing when his right side tugged painfully with that movement. "A deep scratch, but nothing more than that. Ah'm fine enough ta go ta the interrogation and question the bloke mahself. Ah might be able ta get more out of 'im—"

"More out of him than _Pitch_?" Tooth shot back, frowning towards him. "Bunny, have you _heard_ Pitch's interrogations, or did you _forget_ that part of your training?"

Aster narrowed his eyes, trying to think of _any_ way to get Tooth to let him go. There had to be _something_ he could bribe her with to get her to release him. He sucked in a sharp breath and rolled his eyes about the room, landing on the small and delicate looking glass sculpture of a Hummingbird that had been given to him as a gift from the glass blower's daughter. He grinned mirthfully, knowing full well that Tooth had always had an eye for that particular object.

"Ah'll give ya the Hummingbird if ya let me go." Aster told her, watching her entire frame freeze so suddenly that he just _knew_ he had her bribed.

Jack's eyes wandered the spoons, forks and knives. He had a fleeting memory of something familiar to this…and he remembered having trouble with it before—which was why this time his fuck ups weren't an act. He picked up what he thought was the salad fork only to have Pitch rub his temples and shake his head. Pitch lifted his gaze and stared towards Jack with absolute ire.

"Uh, Sir Black? If I may?" Sarah asked in a quiet voice. "I have a trick that could help him."

"Proceed." Pitch murmured, looking off to the side with his jaw clenching in annoyance.

Jack frowned towards Pitch, turning his attention to his foster mother when she sidled up next to him. Sarah gave his shoulder a reassuring rub and then pointed to the fork to his left, which he knew was the salad fork, followed by her looping behind him and pointing towards the outer most spoon that was his soup spoon.

"Just remember, Jack, when you're at any meal you work from the outside in when it comes to your silverware. So you start out here," Sarah reached across him and pointed both index fingers at the outward bits of silver and then bounced her index fingers inward, "then you work towards your plate. Any plate to your upper left is yours and any glasses to the right are yours. It's at the glasses that you run into the opposite situation than your silverware. You drink from the inner glass first and move outwards." Sarah then grabbed up silverware and set it on a plate, angling it so it looked as if it was pointing to a particular time. "When you're done with each bit of silverware you place it entirely on your plate at where the twenty minute mark is. Got it?"

Jack frowned; nodding and watching as Sarah set the silverware back on the table and then stepped back after giving a reassuring rub to his back. Pitch then motioned for him to begin again after Jack had folded the napkin back onto the table. Jack rolled his eyes before adjusting his positioning again—once again model perfect—and began again with the monotonous etiquette lesson, tiling his head when he heard something odd scraping against the roof followed by him watching as a form dashed by the crack in the curtain. Jack lurched to his feet seeing that, his heart pounding and he turned on his heel, rushing to Bunny's room in a panic—his mind jumping to _all_ the worst conclusions.

Aster grunted when he hit the grass and rolled, hunching slightly as he felt another sharp twinge at his right side before he started forward, tugging the brown hood of his cloak up and doing something he hadn't done in what felt like years. He tugged his boot off and tapped his bare foot on the ground twice, channeling his father's magic that had passed onto him into the ground and calling up a tunnel that would lead him right to where he wanted—the jailhouse. He tugged his boot back on and once again jumped, landing with a strained grunt before he started forward in a sprint that had his side in searing pain by the time he hopped up from the underground tunnel just behind the jailhouse. He peeked the corner; made sure nobody was around and then stepped up to the jailhouse. He knocked on the door briefly before opening it and peeking his head in. He smirked when Robin raised a knowing brow towards him.

"About damn time you popped in here." Robin said on a sigh. "I have to admit I expected you yesterday."

Aster chuckled, closing the door behind him and shucking the cloak on the desk. He followed Robin to the door again and through the hallway that he'd just walked down the other day when he'd came here to bail Jack out. He waited for Robin to open the cell and shackle the Tribe member who snarled and snapped his blunt teeth towards Aster, acting _every_ bit the animal he wasn't—but living up to the Tribe stereotype. He followed Robin into cell seven, the room that was designed for questioning with simple blank walls that held no windows, metal chair and table which all were bolted to the ground along with the rings to which the shackles' chains that connected the man's wrists would link too. Robin tilted his hat in farewell after securing the Tribe member's chain linked shackles to the ground.

"Ten minutes, fifteen at max before Pitch shows back up again." Robin told him.

"Got it, mate." Aster replied, crossing his arms and lifting his upper lip towards the Tribe member who sat in the chair, struggling against his bindings and acting like a savage. "Knock it off ya hoon. Yer not an animal, stop actin' like one."

"Yer right, Ah'm not!" The Tribe member shot back heatedly. "Ah only _wish_ Ah was, but until yer dead _none_ of the Tribe get their Pooka forms."

Aster snorted out in disbelief. "Listen, mate, there's a _reason_ the crystal hasn't given ya lot yer bloody Pooka forms and it has _nothing_ ta do with me."

"Then explain why yer the one with the Pooka form, half breed!" The Tribe member snarled angrily, his eyes gleaming with a beastly essence that gave Aster's Tribe their 'savage' nickname.

Aster shrugged. "Ah haven't a clue why Ah have the form and the Tribe doesn't. Are ya sure the crystal isn't denying ya yer forms fer the massacre of countless innocents? Ya lot took _all_ of mah friends and then had the nerve ta not only take mah father's life but ta threaten mah mother's and mine as well. Then ya have the gall ta come after me again after nearly fifteen years?!"

"Yer a threat, mate!" The Tribe member growled, lurching against his bindings and trying to be threatening. "Yer just a ticking time bomb waiting ta go off. Tell me, _Prince Aster_, have ya ever had even an _ounce_ of chocolate in yer diet? Or has yer mother told ya yer _allergic_ ta it?!"

Aster leaned back, confused by this statement. How had he known he was allergic to chocolate? Nobody but the few chefs at the Castle knew that fact. Or better yet, why would Aster's mother lie to him about something like that? Aster narrowed his eyes and leaned forward, slamming his hands on the table and letting his Pooka form shift through. He clicked his claws along the metal table's surface and gave the Tribe member a show of _his_ bestial side.

"Now listen 'ere, mate," Aster raked his claws across the table, making a screeching noise like nails on a chalkboard that he could only ignore because he was the one making it. That noise to echoed through the enclosed room for a few seconds and the Tribe member winced at the sound before Aster then said, "Ah want ta know why ya and the Southern Assassin were tryin' ta kill me, and Ah want ya ta explain it nice and slow or Ah use these claws in such a way that Ah live up ta mah 'beastly' nickname 'round 'ere."

Jack skidded through the hallway when he reached Aster's room. He gripped the edge of the doorway to keep from sliding past it and threw the door open. The cry that sat at the base of his throat halted as he looked around the empty room. The bed was a mess, there was clothing scattered about in the walk in closet, things were scattered on the floor and the _window_ was open. It had looked as if a fight had taken place within the confines of the room—the only thing missing was broken furniture. Jack gulped, rushing forward and grabbing his staff off the wall where he had propped it this morning when he had walked Aster to his room from the Hospital ward followed by a short walk around the bedroom before he had been excused and sent on his way with Pitch for etiquette lessons.

Jack nabbed his staff up and felt a kick of power, pushing past Pitch who had stalked him down the hallway and running back through it, dodging past Pitch as he went. Bunny was missing, as was the Southern Kingdom's assassin…this didn't bode well for an injured Bunny. Jack's mind skipped to the absolute worst possibility—Bunny had been kidnapped and was going to be found along the road somewhere with his throat sliced open. Jack ground his teeth in worry and as soon as his bare foot touched the cold ground outside he summoned up a weak gust of wind, powered by his staff, and took off into the air.

He scanned the ground of the City, taking the time in the air to try to think through this troublesome situation. The only thing that didn't make sense to Jack was simple: Why would a Southern assassin not just slit Bunny's throat in his bed…and where had Tooth been? She was the last person who was supposed to be watching him. Had she been kidnapped as well? Jack's chest clenched painfully as these thoughts zipped through his mind, bringing surprising tears to his eyes as he swung through the air on his gusts of wind searching with a panicked mind.

Aster leaned forward and snarled like the best of them, pitting his green gaze on the Tribe member in front of him that shivered. _That's right, mate. Ya may be a Tribe member at heart but ya still have the sense ta fear someone as strong as Ah am_.

"Tell me now!" Aster slammed his pawed fist onto the table, making it vibrate dangerously on the ground. His attention was diverted for a brief moment when he felt a pang of panic filter through him before he pushed back at it with an angered mental shove. "Out with it or so help me Ah cut a piece of ya off!"

The Tribe member narrowed his gaze. "Ah'm not sayin' shit, mate. Hack away—it's all _yer_ kind ever did." Aster glared towards him. "That's right, ya never _were_ told what happened. That yellow backed mother o' yers refused ta tell ya just what yer father _and_ the others did ta us, the very people they were supposed ta protect."

"Get ta the point." Aster growled menacingly low, his ears lowering backwards and his hackles rising.

"That chocolate from the North…something about it brought out somethin' bad in ya lot." The Tribe member replied easily enough. "If ya don't believe me then Ah suggest ya go ta the West and check within' the library they got there. It's all written down, every gruesome detail that Ah'm about ta tell ya and Ah wish Ah could see yer face when ya discover the truth about yer bloody father and his 'Pooka' warriors. Ya lot went berko on us after eatin' that chocolate and we hadn't an explanation at all ta the cause of our sworn warriors turning their backs on their people and attacking them in fits of uncontrolled rage." The Tribe member grinned evilly towards Aster. "The crystal stated that when the last of Orab's Pooka warriors was destroyed then we got our warrior forms back. _Yer_ the last Pooka warrior there, mate, and ya got an entire civilization just waitin' fer ya ta croak so we can have what's rightfully ours—and _not_ in a half breed!"

Aster chuckled. "Mate, ya might want ta ask fer more specifics than that from the crystal. As ya said, Ah'm a half breed—accordin' ta ya—Ah'm _not_ one of mah father's Pooka warriors. Ah didn't get this form till Ah moved into this Kingdom and Ah got it without having ta go through the training like _they_ did under mah Da. Ah _can't_ be the last of Orab's warriors because Ah _never_ trained under him. Ah taught mahself, which means one of mah father's Pooka warriors is still out and about."

_But the question is, where?_ Aster leaned back, warily gazing towards the Tribe member in front of him. Aster wondered how much confusion was currently happening in his Tribe, especially if what this member was saying was true. But why would the crystal point to _him_? He wasn't even _part_ of their Tribe, hell he'd had to search for a way to mesh with and combine his Pook half with his Human half by himself. He didn't have a guide to lead him through the process of gaining that startling one-ness within himself when his Pooka form sprang forth. The first few months had been outright embarrassing for him until he managed, with _years _of self discipline through meditation and martial arts, to finally find a clarifying peace with what and _who_ he was. It was why Aster's nicknames had never really bothered him and why he only felt disgusted with himself for brief moments after a quick roll in the hay. He _knew_ who he was, and if that meant having to sleep around or resorting to demeaning habits to settle his animal urges then so be it.

But the other question remained: Why did _this_ man come to kill him? Aster gazed at the man, realizing he'd have been a child like Aster had been at the time…but he showed no markings that he was a Pooka warrior—so his incentive to kill Aster must have came from the Tribe. This also brought up the question of: Did the crystal cut the Tribe's tie to their Pooka forms that very fateful day? Or had they only just now discovered that their Pooka warriors weren't coming back?

"Ya don't show any signs of being a warrior..." Aster stated simply. "Where were ya durin' the massacre?"

The man glared towards Aster. "Ah was near the South at the time with mah father trading furs at the border. Ah came home ta a dead mother and a ripped ta shreds sister!"

Aster felt sympathy for the Tribe member, he honestly did, but he needed to press on and questioned: "The Southern Kingdom eh? What do ya know about the assassin from there?" Aster asked, his side beginning to ache painfully from all of the quick movements he had been making, along with the sprint through his tunnels over here, as the interrogation moved on.

The Tribe member shrugged. "He approached our Tribe with a deal recently—and I was chosen to handle the task. Ah get first try at yer life and if Ah failed then that bloke from the South assured me that he wouldn't." The man assessed Aster with an appraising glare. "Ya don't even look like ya got a scratch. Disappointing, it's why ya never trust those Southerners. They're as weak as their stubborn King."

Aster frowned at that. He was relieved he wasn't showing any signs of being in pain as his side began to shoot searing jolts of agony up his side, but he didn't like Jack's Kingdom being insulted—even if the Tribe member _did_ have a point about the Southerners, at least when it came to _most _of that Kingdom. Jack, and he was sure a few others from there as well, weren't untrustworthy _or_ weak. Instead of refuting that insult Aster stopped himself when he heard the knock at the door and then Robin jabbed his head in.

"Get what you need?" Robin asked.

"No, but Ah'm sure Pitch'll get the rest out of 'im." Aster replied, turning and walking from the room and _barely_ resisting the urge to lean into the wall just outside the cell to take a moment's rest and grip at his side. "Do ya know anythin' about the massacre of mah Pooka Tribe off the top of yer head?"

Robin raised a brow and shook his head. "Not off the top of my head, no. I'd have to look it up."

Aster nodded. "Ta, mate."

Robin tilted his head. "I haven't heard _that_ word slip out in awhile. You alright?"

"Fine." Aster grumbled out, knowing full well he'd officially pushed himself beyond his breaking point for the night.

He ducked out into the evening and tugged the cloak's hood on. He wrenched his boot from his foot then tapped the bare foot on the ground when he got to dirt and then stepped down into the hole that would lead him back to the Castle. He _barely_ managed to pull himself from the hole before he felt a sharp gust of chilled wind and then he toppled over when a staff slammed into him, followed quickly by a light frame that straddled his waist and pointed the edge of a crooked staff towards his face with an angry look to his angelic features.

Jack had been flying through the air on gusts of winds that took him across the skyline of the City below. He was getting frantic in his search for Bunny and dreading finding a corpse at the edge of the City. Sure, he wasn't quite sure what he was going to do with the whole 'Mate' ordeal as of yet, but he sure as hell wasn't going to turn his nose up at it either. He just hoped that opportunity hadn't been ripped from his hands before he had the chance to even explore what the possibilities were. Bunny's mother had laid it out so wonderfully that he couldn't help that errant _want_ for that to pertain to him, even if it _did_ scare him.

Luckily he caught movement out of the corner of his eye just outside of the Castle. He froze in the air, halting on a singular gust of wind for a brief moment as a cloaked figure _climbed from a hole in the ground_. Jack's brows furrowed in curiosity at that and then he saw that figure look up towards Bunny's open window. In a fit of rage Jack lurched forward, dive bombing from the sky and only halting briefly to swing the gust of wind he had been riding into the individual. He reacted the second that figure stumbled forward, the man flipping onto his back just in time to get the edge of Jack's crooked staff to his face, the tip burning a bright blue that sparked with cold magic as Jack channeled what little power he had in the reserve of the staff into that point.

Then he gasped, seeing Bunny's face in the shadows of the hood and let out a sharp cry of relief. He lurched forward and wrapped his arms around Bunny's neck, yanking him off the ground into a tight embrace that had him grunting before Jack felt a tentative hand pat his back.

"Jacky, mate, it's startin' ta hurt." Bunny told him with a wince evident in his voice.

Aster sucked in a sharp breath when Jack suddenly released his hold on his neck and then gripped the lapels of the cloak and began shaking him back and forth angrily. Aster snorted out a quick laugh before he winced as his side stabbed painfully while Jack began shouting:

"What do you think you're doing out of bed!" Jack yelled, loudly and undeniably angry. "Bunny what the _hell's_ the matter with you?! You were nearly killed just the other day and you think its fine for you to be out of bed just because you don't need stitches anymore?! How could you possibly think—"

Aster lifted a hand, cutting Jack off and gripping Jack's wrist. "Mate…could ya stop the shakin' please. Ya aren't helpin'."

Jack sighed, his shoulders slumping and then Aster watching in surprise as Jack's shoulders shook, followed by hiccupping breaths.

Jack couldn't believe this. Bunny had _all_ of them worried by this point with his sudden disappearance and he was acting as if it was nothing new. Jack cracked a tear filled eye and saw the growing red mark on the right side of Bunny's shirt and gasped. He pried the hem of Bunny's shirt from his pants and lifted the edge, gazing at the re-opened wound and shaking his head in disbelief—ignoring Bunny's firmly toned abs under the light touch of his fingers.

"I don't believe you." Jack murmured, glancing up and freezing when Bunny's lips met his in a light kiss…and then stayed there, gently brushing against his.

Aster didn't know what else to do, which was exactly why he reacted on that urge to comfort his Mate. Jack had been worried, _sick_ apparently if that sour scent was anything to go by. But all panic seemed to slip from Jack's face when Aster's lips had brushed his, which was why he kept brushing them with his. Jack's eyelids fluttered briefly before he leaned forward with a sharp breath and pressed right back into Aster's. He grinned, licking out his tongue and moaning when Jack's mouth opened and their tongues met in a heated kiss. Aster leaned forward more, grasping Jack's strong jaw in his palm and _loving_ the feel of his Mate returning his affections and nearly breaking down in joy right then before a throat clearing drew their attentions away from one another.

Jack's eyes snapped open and he froze. He gazed at Bunny's bright green eyes that were bright from his cocky smile that seemed to mock him before Jack threw himself backwards with a blush raking up from his collar. Without looking back at Bunny, aside from seeing him lounging on the grass like he was sitting in the sunlight while propped up on an elbow, Jack kicked his staff into his hand that he had discarded to shake some sense into Bunny and walked into the dining room. He avoided Pitch and North's gaze, hunching down into the tailed suit he had borrowed from Jamie—another one—and pulled the collar up to hide his embarrassment at being caught lip locked with the _Prince_.

Jack shuffled forward, his face a bright shade of blue as he haphazardly made it back to the small room that adjoined Bunny's. He propped his staff up against the wall again and turned the lock on his bedroom door, unsure what the hell he was going to do—especially because that kiss felt absolutely _amazing_.

Aster, meanwhile, felt like a cat that had gotten into the cream. He took _way_ too much joy out of watching Jack sulk from the grass after being caught in a heady make out session. He then turned his gaze up to Pitch and North, immediately wiping that smug look to his face and straightening with a wince before North crossed his arms and set that fatherly gaze towards him that, when little, had threatened a spanking to his rear with one of his infamous yard sticks. Of course North never followed through with that threat, but it still had Aster sitting up and taking notice.

Aster cleared his throat. "Da. Pitch. Nice evenin' we're havin'."

"Do not try that with me." North threatened, reaching downward and gripping Aster's ear making him yelp as scorching pain shot through one of his more sensitive areas from being yanked on mercilessly by North. "You are going to see Sandy to get side stitched—_again _—and then you are on bed rest until you are fifty!"

Aster glared at Pitch whose silver eyes glittered with humor. Aster flailed and followed North helplessly as he tugged on Aster's very Human ear, making his limbs fail at functioning properly from the distracting, attention earning, blinding white—searing—pain that seemed to cut through his head and nearly paralyze him. To Aster, the searing pain at his ear that radiated from the single edge that North pinched between his thumb and index finger was much more painful than the stabbing, pulsing, pain at his side.

North knew the only way to get Aster to actually behave was to keep a _firm_ grip on Aster's ears, and Aster _hated_ that North knew this. However it was made worse because North knew Aster hated all things needle related, which made the hour long torture of North never letting up on his ear while Sandy stitched his side up again wore Aster out where he eventually just wanted to go into his room and fume. He was finally shoved into his room with a disapproving look from North followed by Pitch following him into his room and standing outside the bathroom door haranguing him through the process of his shower, helping Aster change and then even acted like he was eleven again and _tucked him into bed_.

When Aster reminded Pitch that Jack was supposed to be doing all these things Pitch simply ignored the question and didn't reply to them, looking as if he genuinely cared for Aster before he turned on a sharp heel—all signs of the fleeting moment of father-like care—gone from Pitch's straightened back and squared shoulders as he slipped from the bedroom, closing the door behind him. Aster crossed his arms, lifting the edge of his lip and glaring at the door soon as Pitch left.

He slumped back on the once again perfectly made bed and felt his eye twitch in annoyance. He wanted his nest, not this pristinely made disaster they referred to as 'beds'. He huffed, tossing the sheets from the bed and shifting. He shuffled about on his bed in his usual pattern and then curled up into a ball at the center of it. He found a comfortable spot just in time to realize one thing: he had to get back out of bed to turn the light off. He sucked in a sharp breath of irritation, getting ready to push himself from the bed before the light turned off and then he heard the soft padding of bare feet on his carpet. He felt his hope spark for a moment, knowing exactly who those feet belonged too. His ear perked up and swiveled when he heard something next to him and opened his eye warily.

Jack didn't know _nor_ did he care what brought on this bout of loneliness. Maybe it was the fact that he was in an unfamiliar Kingdom or maybe it was the scary realization that it was _very_ possible for _anything_ to happen to Bunny—whatever the case he found himself sneaking into Bunny's bedroom through their adjoining door and then shuffled over to the light, having smiled at the bundle of bed sheets and pillows on the mattress there followed by seeing an ear perk up from the mess shortly after he'd turned the light off. He crawled onto the bed, knowing he wouldn't be rejected from it and laid down next to Bunny, facing him.

"Mind if I stay here?" Jack asked, his voice nothing more than a whisper—that logical part of his brain worrying that Bunny would tell him to leave.

"Yes." Bunny replied, then reached an arm out and tugged Jack into his front. "Ah don't want ya over _there_, Ah want ya _right_ 'ere."

Jack couldn't help the stupid smile of undiluted happiness that crossed his face before he cuddled into the warmth of Bunny's furred chest, eventually flopping onto his back and tilting into that warmth. He let his eyelids droop before he felt Bunny's rough and velveteen feeling tongue run across his temple then through his hair. He snickered, hearing Bunny's teeth grind together in a purr followed by a sigh.

Aster had to admit, if Jack stayed all night he was going to sleep like a log for once. He thrilled at the fact that Jack had came into his bedroom, relished that he cuddled into him and outright fought not to push his luck when he heard Jack snicker when he'd chanced a brief grooming of Jack's hair.

"Hey Bun?" Jack muttered out into his chest.

"Hm?" Aster grunted in response, feeling exhausted after pushing himself too far today.

"Can we take this slow?" Jack murmured.

Aster stiffened, eyes snapping wide when he heard that. He drew back from Jack briefly, unbelieving of what he'd just heard until Jack glanced up at him with a worried gaze. Aster decided he needed to clarify what exactly Jack was referring too.

"What're ya referring too?" Aster asked, _needing_ the clarification before he let his heart make the decision of if it was going to jump for joy and sink in sorrow.

Jack frowned, pushing up onto his arm and motioned between them with a hand. "To us. Whatever…_this_ is. This 'Mate' business that your mother told me about." Jack watched as Aster's eyes brightened briefly before they became guarded. Jack huffed. "Bunny—"

"Ya can call me Aster ya know. Unless ya prefer Bunny that is. Ah'm indifferent." He interrupted.

Jack smiled lightly. "Does that mean I can call you Ka—"

"No! No Kangaroo, ya larrikin!" Aster shouted, lurching forward and grappling Jack to his chest, giving his white mop of hair a noogie and making Jack chuckled and wriggle before Aster slumped back onto the bed with Jack on his chest, exhausted from that bout of energy.

Jack began to trail a finger through the fur on his chest, making him close his eyes to relish in the stimulant that simple trailing finger brought to him. "We…we _are_ Mates…right? And not the 'friend' mate that you refer to everyone else with."

Aster nodded, feeling his teeth beginning to grind again and allowing his right paw to languidly trace a repetitive path up and down Jack's side.

"I mean…your mother…she sounded like there were things that maybe we just can't help, but I'd still like to take things as slow as possible—you know to breathe." Jack then laid his chin on Aster's chest, blowing out a heavy breath across his fur and ruffling it, making Aster hum. "I mean…I _want_ to try this, but I'm so scared Aster."

Aster jerked with that. He cracked his eyes and glanced down at Jack whose blue eyes were glazed over, his thoughts obviously elsewhere and worry making his brows knit.

"Snowflake?" Aster asked, watching as that nickname snapped Jack into himself, bringing a quirking to those lips. "What're ya worried about?"

Jack shrugged. "A _lot_ of things. I'm scared that you'll get hurt—"

"That's inevitable." Aster murmured, chuckling when Jack frowned towards him. "Jack, Ah'm a warrior—a _Pooka_ warrior—Prince duties or not. We don't run from battle, we _win_."

Jack rolled his eyes and snorted in disbelief. "Sure, just puff up your ego."

Aster smiled. "Ah'm the best, Ah know this already but yer more than able ta—ow!"

Jack jabbed a finger into his tender side, cutting him off with a withering look that had him smirking. "_As_ I was saying. I'm scared you'll get hurt, I'm scared my foster family is going to get hurt because of that Southern assassin and I'm _especially_ scared of war." Jack ran the edge of his palm against his cheek, but Aster had seen the tear. "I…I don't want to have to choose between the South, my home, or the North where you are…my supposed Mate. I don't…I don't think I could choose."

Aster sighed. "Ah don't want ya ta have ta choose. But Ah can't keep lettin' yer people suffer either." Aster then narrowed his eyes, gripping Jack's bicep and giving it a squeeze to push him into his chest in a half hug. "If worse comes ta worse we branch off and do our own thing."

_And we can start by finding out about what chocolate has ta do with me_. Aster added mentally.

Jack's head bobbed up and down next to him. "Sounds fair. Night Bunny."

"G'night…Mate." Aster's lip quirked when he got to say that and he was stunned when Jack leaned forward and laid a light kiss to the edge of his lips before laying his head just under Aster's chin.

Aster rubbed that chin on Jack's head, at least twice to ensure his scent stayed on him, then relaxed into a slumber that—for the first time ever—felt entirely restful.

* * *

I'm a potato today I swear. It has taken me all day to edit this chapter and I started at 5am...I have the attention span of a goldfish righ - OH LOOK A DUST MOTE!

To **JimBob** **Delilah**: Haha I'm glad you liked Pitch's reprimanding. Also to your response to the review on my newest story: YES I FUCKIN' MISSED YER FACE! Hehe.

To **Sticksandstones**: Yea I do like to pull the rug out from people's feets (cough WoaD ending cough). My rabbit nuzzles my hand like a cat, and yes it's adorable :3. He also likes head scritches and base of his ears rubbed :D...and chewing on _everything__ I love_. Also yea, Jack's going to cause some trouble with the lessons lol.

To **Good Witch of Babble**: Internal freaking out happens intermittently...can I haz cookies?

To **Shanatic**: Every time I read that review I swear I bust a gut from laughing. The way you said it is just hilariously well delivered.

To** Ultravioletlex**: Jump on the crazy train!

To **Rychan6**: He does, yes...but he's also hopped up on meds lol.

To **OtakuFujoshi**: I know right? I'm bustin' my ass here getting these stories written up. I even gave the person a fair warning too before it turned to outright harassment from them and I shooed 'em off. As for the long part of the chapter...yes. Quality? Ehhhhhh could be better lol.

To **Edam Aster Bunnymund**: Err on the side of caution with this story I s'ppose. Best advice I can give :) But thank you for saying it's unique ^_^

To **yey** (I love you for leaving reviews so frequently lol): Thing about being sick, I got jack all to do besides write and edit - so it works out lol. As for Jack's powers right now, they're limited. He _can_ fly as you will see and he can make ice, but he can't shape it into anything of use right now - the shackles are cutting his inner magic off by nullifying it. All of his power right now is coming from his staff and the way I have it set up in this story is his staff acts as both a conduit (for focusing on where he wants something to go) and as an outside (supplemental) generator for his magic (but it isn't _as_ strong as his inner magic) for situations just like the one he's in right now where he's cut off from his inner magic :) Does that help clarify it? Or did I just muddle it all even worse for you?

Finally to **Sakural7865**: My good golly miss molly I am so sorry I haven't been sending you thanks for your constant PM reviews and forgetting to acknowledge them on here. I feel like a total douche and I apologize for that :) I really do appreciate your reviews ^_^ Oh and for answering my PMs right back. I really do like conversing with peeps...especially if they're screwy like me (cough **Shanatic** cough).


	7. Chapter 6 - The Adventure Begins

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

However! I do own this bloody plot and this damn world along with a few well thought out ideas.

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Chapter 6: The Adventure Begins

**Summary**: What does Aster's allergy to chocolate have to do with the massacre of his Tribe's Pooka warriors? Just what are Jack and Aster going to do when the Tribe member is discovered as missing from his cell? _Why_ does Aster have a knack for wanting to move before he's fully healed, and why does Jack let him?

Aster crossed his arms as his thoughts churned through the information he had gathered last night from the Tribe member. He had never considered his allergy to chocolate of importance. Sure, it made him an outcast in an area where chocolate was a delicacy, but he'd just chalked that up to bad luck—like the people he knew who were allergic to certain types of medicine or foods—and dismissed it as yet another issue he faced as a Tribe member in a Northern Kingdom. He hadn't even given it a second thought that the allergy might be linked to his Tribe's massacre of their warriors. He'd never doubted his mother's worry filled face when he had asked to try the chocolate she had given to North on his birthday their first two years in the Kingdom. Her excuse for refusing to give him the chocolate was sound, even to his childish mind—'You're allergic to it, Bunny.'

He'd never felt the need to question his mother's refusal because of that fact, but now? Now he wanted to know exactly _why_ she refused to explain to him _why_ he was considered to be 'allergic' to chocolate—especially now since he was a grown man and had a good head on his shoulders to understand much better than when he had been a child. There _had_ to be a prevalent reason to why he was denied chocolate and he _wanted_ to know what it was—especially if it was related to going insane and possibly hurting the people he loved.

His curiosity, and outright worry, was peeked with this situation and he had asked to see his mother, who he hoped would be forthcoming with the information he so desperately wanted the answers for. He sat up straighter in his bed when his mother walked into his bedroom with Jack on her arm to relieve Tooth of guard duty. He glanced to Tooth—who glared at Aster for being the cause of her current grounding—watching as Jack gave her cheek a light peck before he came over to Aster and adjusted the pillows behind his back.

"Alright Bunny—I _know_ I can call you Aster, but at the moment I'm going with Bunny." Jack said the second Aster had opened his mouth. _That and calling you Bunny keeps __**some**__ semblance of distance between us until I figure out a little more about __**us**_. "I'm going to be taking your sister back to her room since you got her grounded with your little stunt and then if you don't need me for anything further then I'm going to go meet up with Pitch for," and he cringed as he said this, "dance lessons."

Jack narrowed his eyes on Bunny as he snorted out a quick laugh, wincing briefly before he covered that small show of pain by nodding. "Go ahead mate. Ah'm not doing a thing today."

Jack raised a brow towards Bunny, sensing the lie that had just snuck past his lips and _knowing_ he was going to do _so_ much more than just simply sit and heal like he was supposed to be doing—especially if Jack was sensing that tension through Bunny right. He could tell something was unnerving Bunny, but he didn't quite know what it was yet. He shrugged it off though, figuring Bunny was an adult and could make his own decisions—even if they _were_ stupid at times.

Jack then held out his arm for Tooth who took it with a grin, her hands immediately going for his mouth and Bunny having to reprimand her along with his mother who both shouted at her to keep her lithe fingers from Jack's mouth. Jack saw Bunny shaking his head out of the corner of his eye, a hinting of jealousy on his face from Tooth's action, as his mother took her seat next to him. However as Jack led Tooth from the room he felt the sure, hungry, gaze of Bunny glued to his back until he disappeared from the room for the next couple of hours in order to attend lessons with Pitch.

Jack soon made it to the ballroom and was relieved to see Sophie standing next to Pitch. He grabbed Sophie up into a hug, ignoring Pitch's command to enter as a Royal—which made Pitch's teeth grind in irritation. Jack stepped back from Sophie and then walked back out of the room. He straightened his back, squared his shoulders and then put a cocky smile on his face as he sauntered out onto the dance floor. He had to admit, he was _not_ thrilled about dancing—had _never_ been a fan of dancing—and if he could manage to stall his time out by irritating Pitch and distracting him from teaching him to dance then he'd move a mountain to be able to avoid it. Pitch's hands clenched as Jack was over acting every bit Pitch had barely taught him yesterday and Sophie was in a fit of giggles as Jack swooped her out onto the dance floor haphazardly, this part being entirely him fucking it up au natural.

"Jackson, I swear the day you take this seriously is the day the Southern Kingdom is relieved of their King." Pitch grumbled angrily, stepping forward and gripping Jack by his ear.

Jack yelped as that ear was tugged on, chuckling as Pitch dragged him from the ballroom. "Hey, uh, Pitch? Wrong man to yank the ears of."

Pitch snorted. "It got your attention and from the ballroom, did it not?" He asked snidely, pitting a narrowed gaze towards Jack before he stepped back towards the ballroom. "Do it right, Jackson—"

"Jack!" He shouted, interrupting Pitch—or at least believing he had, but the man continued.

"—or I'll resort to using the yard stick on your wrists, or your arse should I have too, and I can assure you _that_ will hurt." Pitch replied smoothly as he stalked back into the ballroom. "Sophie! Stand straight young lady and quit sniggering like a fool. You're only encouraging him."

"Sorry Sir Pitchiner." Sophie's voice, light with some humor still, replied.

"Good girl." Pitch replied, a grin carrying itself into his voice. Jack briefly wondered if maybe, just maybe, Pitch wasn't as harsh as he appeared as he heard Pitch murmur a few words of thanks to Sophie for her patience with him. "Jackson! Come into the ballroom now!"

Jack frowned, taking a moment to decide how he should enter this time and then sniggering as he hunched one of his shoulders up and strode into the ballroom with a limp. Pitch was right about Sophie only encouraging him with her chuckles—especially when she burst into a fit of laughter when Jack dragged a foot behind him and acting as if he had a hunch on his back. Pitch slapped his palm to his face and growled out angry mutterings.

Aster, in the mean time, was sitting in bed listening to his mother hum as she sewed. He glanced to her, wondering if he could pry the information out of her or not. He _hoped_ she'd be forthcoming.

"Mum? Can…can Ah ask ya somethin'?" He asked, glancing to her nervously.

"You can ask me anything you want. You know that." She replied, sitting back and continuing her sewing. "But, should you be hedging towards the subject, _no_ you cannot get out of bed and go about your duties. You are _hurt_ and on bed rest until Sandy tells you otherwise—and even then North doesn't want you pushing yourself more than you already do."

Aster grinned sheepishly towards his mother when she sent him a scolding look. He cleared his throat and wriggled down onto the bed a little, wondering just how Jack knew exactly where he was going to need his pillows. His mother cleared her throat and then sent him a quick glance.

"How are things with Jack?" She asked, curious.

Aster shrugged. "He wants ta take things slow, so he hasn't ran screamin' from the room yet from havin' ya scare the shit out of 'im with yer talk." His mother grinned and he glared towards her. "Mum, ya realize ya coulda chased the bloke off with that talk, right? Ah mean…ya just _dropped_ it on 'im without any pretenses or warn—"

Aster's mother cut him off, "Well Bunny, dear, were _you_ going to tell him or were you going to just _hope_ he didn't disappear while you courted him? At least now he knows what's going on between you two and is less likely to be scared of something he can't explain."

Aster crossed his arms, brows knitting as he glanced to his mother, hating how she knew what he _had_ planned on doing. She tilted her head and raised a brow.

"Have you initiated _any_ of the Mating with him yet?" She asked, her tone wary. "Bunny you know the longer you wait the more restless that side of you is going to get. You're already pushing it as it is."

"Ah know!" He shouted, clapping his open furred and padded palm on the blanket and wincing from the pain that shot up his side with that quick strike, his ears lowering backwards in embarrassment. "Ah just…Ah don't want 'im ta go flyin' off is all. So Ah've been givin' 'im his space and only actin' on mah urges when he initiates things."

Aster watched his mother frown towards him. "Bunny, you _need_ to start something with him soon else your other half is going to take over. In situations like this you _know_ your Pooka instincts are going to take things into their own hands—especially when it's _your_ Mate is involved."

"Mum Ah'm _fine_!" He lied, having been resisting acting on most of his urges—only letting the fluke few through when he couldn't think of anything better. He cleared his throat and glanced to the left. "Ah hadn't spent _years_ trainin' mahself ta resist most of 'em fer nothin'."

His mother snorted in distaste. "Just make sure you don't scare Jack because you pushed it off too long. You'll set yourself back so far it'll take you months to regain the ground I've already covered _for_ you."

Aster nodded his head, realizing his mother had a point in that regard. He then glanced over to his mother again and scratched his jaw with his left paw's claws. Since she was being fairly open about his Pooka side then maybe she _would_ be forthcoming with more information.

"Ah…Ah was going ta ask ya why the Tribe member Ah interrogated yesterday had his knickers in a knot about mah allergy ta chocolate." He stated frankly, watching as his mother froze and the scent of fear wafted off of her in waves.

By this point he _knew_ he'd hit a subject that she wasn't going to hedge—pleading tone to his voice or not. Aster frowned when his mother cleared her throat this time, her movements stiff and practiced. He'd never noticed it before until this very moment, but as his memories shot back to the time he'd asked to try chocolate he noticed that she moved the _same_ exact way—as if she was a deer caught in a pair of headlights from one of their few automobiles—and had the _same_ demeanor that spoke of monumental terror barely masked by a stern front as she had at that time as well. He _knew_ she wasn't going to spill, especially when she started quaking in her seat. He then watched as that fearful act was suddenly gone, hidden behind an anxious smile.

"I told you, Bunny, you're allergic to it. It has nothing to do with the Tribe—in fact I don't even know why he was here to kill you." His mother had lied to him; at least until she admitted that she had no idea why the Tribe member was out to kill him. "Honestly, Bunny, there's nothing to fret over when it comes to chocolate."

Aster smelled that sour scent that went along with a lie and he raised a brow towards his mother. "Then have Sandy give me some antihistamine and let me have some chocolate."

He watched as she froze, turning a practiced smile to him after recovering herself again and chuckling nervously. "Bunny, hun…it doesn't work like that. You could _die_ if you ingested chocolate."

Aster tilted his head. "I don't see how Ah could die from it if Sandy's here ta watch me. He _is_ a Doctor, he'll know how ta keep me from—" He stopped talking when his mother shot from her seat and she stepped towards the door. "Mum? Mum?!"

Aster sighed out irritably as he heard his mother's shuddering breath as she sucked in a sharp hiccupping breath and then he heard her let out a sharp cry as she hit the hallway, her steps light as they picked up their pace and she ran down the hall. Aster frowned, bouncing his hind foot along the length of the bed and making his side pull painfully from the movement as irritation set in—both with himself for making his mother cry and with her tight lipped tendencies when it came to anything Tribe related that _didn't_ involve his Pooka instinctual drive. He swore he could never get his Tribe's history from her, hell he barely knew the basics as it was—and there was little to no written history on his Tribe either, so he couldn't go around his mother and get the information that way.

It gave him the incentive he needed to head to the Western Kingdom—and quickly.

Jack turned, pulling Sophie to him and then letting her twirl under his arm. Her skirt flared out as she spun and she giggled happily when Jack's arm straightened and he tugged her from her location back towards him. He then set her back in their starting position and bowed deeply towards her, hearing Pitch clap lightly from beside him.

"It only took fifteen tries, but you finally managed not to either trip or step on poor Sophie's toes." Pitch murmured, stepping from the corner of the room like a shadow and then pointing towards the door again. "Exit please and when you come in we will attempt to see if you can keep your tempo to match that of the piano."

Jack huffed, groaning as he turned and walked from the ballroom again, thoroughly irritated and wanting to just go back to Bunny's room and take care of him—because taking care of a grumpy Pooka warrior was _so_ much easier than trying to teach him dance lessons. He leaned on the doorframe, waiting for Pitch to give him the signal to go into the room before he jumped as a strong hand clapped on his shoulder. He turned, at first fearful of whoever touched him, before he relaxed upon seeing North. Jack nodded to him in greeting and North peeked around the corner of the door, chuckling when he saw the inside.

"You and Bunny wear same expression when it comes to dancing." North stated, then cocked a teasing brow. "Well…Bunny _had_ worn that look, until _you_ danced with him." North met Jack's eyes and bluntly asked: "What is Prince Aster to you?"

Jack gulped, unsure of how to answer that question. "Well..uhh…"

North smirked down at Jack and he blinked up at the hulking man that was the King of the Northern Kingdom. "Obviously he is more than just friend, especially with act we caught you in with him last night."

Jack's face flushed and his eyes widened in embarrassment. He dropped his gaze to his shoe encased feet—a rarity—and struggled to think of a response, completely tongue tied…and this time it because of being lip locked with Bunny.

North laughed heartily in front of Jack, gripping his shoulders and urging Jack to look up at him by dipping towards his eye level. "Jack, is alright. Lillian has explained everything. May I be first to say congratulations to both you and Aster?" Jack glanced up and felt his already blushing face heat up all the more before North decided to sidetrack the conversation with: "Tell me Jack, how is Bunny doing? I was just on way to visit him until—" North halted and Jack turned, hearing sniffling noises from the hallway and then watching as Bunny's mother stepped through the hallway. North's brows knit together and he rushed to her. "Galoopka, what is the matter?"

Jack watched as North gathered Bunny's mother into his arms and hugged her to him. He watched as she melted into his arms and tucked her head into his chest, letting out a shuddering breath and shaking her head. She straightened, glancing to Jack and hearing Pitch shout for him from the ballroom. Bunny's mother glanced to him with mirthful eyes rimmed with leftover tears before she turned to North.

"Oh, Bunny is just being Bunny." She stated simply, giving a light smile to North. "North, love, why don't we join Jack for a dance? You know how much I love dancing."

Jack watched as North gazed down at Bunny's mother with a worried and protective look to it that threatened a firm reprimanding for Bunny later before he sighed, his face softening and then he nodded. "Normally galoopka, I would not agree and say you need to rest, but seeing as you are upset I will abide by your request."

"Jackson!" Pitch shouted from the ballroom with an irritable tone.

Aster huffed on the bed, his eyes threatening to close in a boredom induced nap before his sharp hearing heard Pitch bellowing for Jack again. Aster sighed, sitting up in bed and throwing the covers off to go see what was happening _this_ time. He shifted into his Human form and dragged on pants and a crew neck white shirt. He padded down the hallway and heard the sure ivory keys of the piano producing a sound that only Koz was known for—his lithe pianist's fingers able to caress the keys with a light touch that spoke volumes to his dedication to the craft. He stepped up to the entry and glanced into the ballroom, smirking as he saw North and his mother dancing smoothly while Jack looked as if he was counting the steps in his head and moved with a stiff edge to each movement.

"Bunny!" Jack shouted, chuckling when he saw him after spinning Sophie in a circle, "Take over for me?"

Aster shook his head at Jack. "Ah don't like dancin' unless Ah have ta."

Jack split from Sophie and grabbed up Aster's hand, tugging him onto the dance floor and smirking towards him. "How about with me?"

Jack watched as Bunny's gaze softened and he led Jack through the dance again, giving him a compliment when he went through the motions without stepping on his toes. Jack beamed up at him, unbelievably happy with that small adoration and then frowning when Bunny's breathing stuttered. Jack worried over Bunny's well being, watching as his normally tanned face began to pale right in front of him even if he wasn't showing any signs of faltering. Jack narrowed his eyes on Bunny and was about to ask if he was alright before the thundering of footsteps sounded out followed by a herd of armor clad men and the sheriff rushed into the ballroom.

"General Pitchiner, the Tribe assassin has escaped from the prison." Sheriff Hood said sharply, his hairline bleeding and the wound trailing down his face. "I was ambushed on my way out of the jailhouse by the Southern Assassin who then freed the Tribe member."

Aster watched as Jack's eyes widened as fear laced itself through his face. He turned to Pitch, who nodded for the exit of the ballroom. "Prince Aster, I believe you need rest and Jackson I expect you to be at his beck and call until I return to retrieve you."

Aster frowned, dropping his hands from Jack and facing Pitch and Sheriff Hood—hating that he was being tossed aside so easily, especially when the assassin had aimed for _him_. "Ah want ta go with ya. If yer tryin' ta track the bloke down Ah want ta act as bait. He's after me, so let him come and get me."

"Absolutely not!" North shouted angrily. "Aster, you are weak and injured. Go, lay down. I am sure Jack can protect you if need be, that way we can _all_ assist in hunting down the assassin at later date, dah?"

Aster opened his mouth to retort but was surprised when Jack slapped a hand to his mouth and gave him a withering look. Aster glared down at Jack who raised a brow that just _dared_ him to push the subject. He sighed, nodding and stepping from the ballroom proudly before he slumped—unable to fight back the exhaustion and pain. Jack was there to haul his frame down the hallway and laid him on the bed. He had an errant want to close his bedroom door, relieved when Jack pushed from the bed to do just that.

Aster grinned as Jack came back over to him after closing and locking the windows as well, however that grin was wiped off his face when Jack peeled his shirt back and set away to looking at his sealed—but still needing a good day to heal as of yet—injuries. He sucked in a sharp breath when Jack's cool fingers pressed into his deeper wound on his right side. He curled up a little and hissed out a breath, sighing when the residual pain of that examination finally faded and Jack set away to poking the side that was nothing more than a mere flesh wound.

"I'll take the hint this side is alright?" Jack asked, smirking up towards him.

Aster nodded, unable to resist arching his body into Jack's touch, relishing in the sparks that always zipped from the area of skin that Jack's fingers had traced before he sighed. He then closed his eyes and relaxed back into the bed, which was a bedraggled mess of blankets and pillows still. He needed to rest up, maybe channel the healing magic he had picked up from his father's Earth-based magic into his side to get it to heal faster, and take a miniature 'hiatus' to the Western Kingdom to dig through their large expansive library of memories.

He adjusted his spot on the bed, gripping Jack's arm when he tried to get up and yanking him to his side. He curled his arm around Jack and nuzzled into him, letting exhaustion wrap itself around him and beginning to clear his mind for the process of _forcing_ the wound at his side to heal enough to stop hampering his movements. He _needed_ to know about the chocolate and how it not only linked himself to his Tribe, but also to the assassin—and he was betting he could figure out the connection to the Southern assassin as well if he found out what it all added up to in the end.

"Aster…I need to pee." Jack murmured, snickering when Aster groaned and then Jack pushed up from the bed to sprint lightly across the bedroom to the bathroom.

"Does it have anythin' ta do with being caught in the same bloody bed again?" Aster asked irritably, agitated that Jack had ruined his restful sleep by panicking when a knock had sounded on his door this morning, North having came to check on Aster. "Because Ah _hated_ that ya went boltin' inta yer room like a mouse caught in a spotlight. Ya _ruined_ mah mornin' with that."

Jack gave Aster an apologetic smile that held a hint of bashfulness. "No…I _do_ need to pee. I'm also sorry I ruined your morning Mr. Cling."

Aster snorted at the nickname Jack had just given him and nuzzled into the spot Jack had been in before beginning to fall asleep, channeling his Earthy magic into the wound and feeling it already taking effect. Expelling that much magic to force the wound to heal would wear him out, but it'd be worth it if it meant obtaining answers faster. As he began to nod off into sleep he decided that the next time he woke up he'd take an unplanned trip to the West—no he _needed_ to take the trip to the West. North and Pitch both would kill him when he returned, but he chalked that up to old news. They tended to hate when he took off anyways—but at least this time he'd leave them a note…maybe.

Jack placed his hands on the counter and he glanced at the door that separated him from Bunny. He'd never seen someone as outright stubborn as Bunny was. What part of _stay in bed_ did the man not understand? Sure, he hadn't helped any by making him dance, but that wasn't the point! Bunny should have never even showed up, let alone left the bed! He was on _bed_ rest, not _walking_ around rest like his mother. Jack shook his head, rubbing his neck and realized Bunny's incessant stubbornness was going to give him gray hairs with worry—_if_ those gray hairs would even show up in his mess of snow white hair.

Jack scrubbed his palm across his face, gazing at himself in the mirror and taking a moment to reflect.

Bunny was injured because of a Southern Kingdom assassin, who when fighting Jack, had shown some serious skill in battle. Hell, even Bunny had a hard time battling off the Southern assassin, and Bunny had handled the Tribe assassin in record times—but Jack was unsure as to who the target of that night actually _was_. The Tribe member had headed right for Bunny, so obviously _something_ was happening there with Bunny and his previous Tribe…but _why_ did the Southern assassin head for both of them—starting with him first then moving onto Bunny? He was nothing more than an annoying thief, easily dealt with by shackles that nullified magic and tossing him into the jail cell that would cut him off from the very thing that gave him life—his snow, cold winds, his freezing temperatures, to the point where his inner blizzard that sat at his core would falter and he'd cease to live. What was the purpose of taking _him_ out first?

He turned from his reflection and sighed. His gaze went to the door again and he tuned into that pull that sat between him and the man on the other side, feeling it flicker weakly but giving Jack a heady dose of information on Bunny. Bunny _needed_ him right now; he could feel the restless sleep that tugged at him. Before he even addressed that Jack stepped from the bathroom and out into the hallway, managing to track down Bunny's mother and feeling as if it was safe enough to leave Bunny resting alone for a moment—especially with that strange bond opened between them and telling him that Bunny was resting, even if it was restless.

Jack managed to find Bunny's mother on her way through the hallway, nearly crashing into her as he took the corner just at the edge of the hallway where Bunny's bedroom sat. He sent her an apologetic look and then cleared his throat.

"Queen…er…Lillian, I…I uh…" Jack shook his head, sorting through his thoughts and pinning down the question that was baffling him. "Listen…you know Bunny and I ran into each other when I was younger, right?"

Lillian's eyes widened and she nodded. "Yes. What is it Jack?"

Jack chewed on his lower lip and cleared his throat again. "How…_Why_, didn't either of us feel that we were Mates back then? _Why_ did it just suddenly spring up now?"

Lillian smiled warmly towards Jack, wearing tired bags under her eyes and gently taking his arm to guide him into turning leading him back towards Bunny's room. "Jack, you were _seven_ and Bunny was only _fourteen_. Neither of you were ready to be Mates. The bond wouldn't have set at all if you'd have bumped into each other seven years later either. _Both_ beings need to be the age to which one is considered an adult. You're…what? Eighteen?"

Jack nodded. "I'll be nineteen on December 20th."

Lillian nodded. "You're considered an adult at eighteen, something inside—" She stopped Jack and tapped his chest above his heart, "—grows to fruition at that age, which is also why the crystal chooses the future Kings at that age. Bunny, for instance, was chosen at eighteen—but until North has passed then he is forever the Prince…and trust me he is _fine_ with that status." Lillian frowned. "He's threatened to keep North alive as many times as he's threatened to kill him."

Jack snickered. "So…what you're saying is that the Mating thing only works when both parties are over the age of eighteen?"

Lillian nodded. "Is that all you needed to know?"

Jack nodded, glancing to Bunny who was resting on his bed and then looking up to Lillian gazing towards Bunny and seeing the devotion on her face for her son. Jack shook his head, wondering if Bunny had ever taken for granted what he had. Jack didn't _think_ he did, considering the care he seemed to show for his family and even towards the Kingdom that hated him, but there were moments when Bunny _did_ seem oblivious to what he had. Jack then sighed and thanked Lillian stepping into the room and crawling into bed next to Bunny after closing the door, nodding off quickly.

Aster woke up six hours later and gazed at Jack, smiling briefly before his gaze lifted to the night sky through his window. He gathered his strength and pushed from bed, followed quickly by a stretch. His side felt better, a little tight, but it wasn't something that would outright distract him if battle came his way. He stalked to his bathroom, brushing his teeth and giving his face a brisk washing before he stalked to his walk in closet and grabbed clothes to travel in. He stalked from there and grabbed his bandolier as he snuck from the bedroom towards the kitchen. He grabbed up a few food rations from the kitchen—food that was given to the King's army for their ruck marches—and tucked them into the backpack section of his bandolier for food. He then snuck back up into his room and tucked his enchanted boomerangs into their holsters followed by tucking some of his 'science experiments' that had turned into exploding eggs into their holsters as well. He stripped and tugged on his cargo pants and a hunter green long sleeved shirt. He stalked back into the closet and yanked his cloak down, followed by a second cloak and another set of clothes—skimping on shoes for both parties aside from the leather straps that would adorn the arches of his feet. On his way out he snuck a hand out and grabbed one of his coin pouches that he had stored for adventures just like this one.

He stepped out into the bedroom and froze, noticing his breath was fogging the air, followed quickly by that nipping cold, and wincing when his gaze went to Jack who was sitting upright in bed and frowning towards him. Aster sent him a sheepish grin and knew exactly how to get out of a good reprimanding.

"Jacky, wanna have some fun? Go on an adventure? Short trip ta the West Kingdom, not too strenuous. Ah want ta look somethin' up and they're the only lot Ah know ta have information on it." He smirked when Jack's eyes lit with abject curiosity before a grin broke across Jack's face.

"Alright…but what about the assassins' and your side?" Jack asked, glancing over to Bunny who was moving _scarily_ well for someone who had almost fainted on him earlier today.

Bunny waved a hand in the air. "Don't worry about the assassins, mate. Ah can handle them and Ah sure as hell saw ya handle them as well. Together we'll be fine. It's a short trip—especially if we take mah tunnels. As fer mah side," Jack's breath caught as Bunny lifted his shirt smugly, meeting Jack's gaze with a heated look that bordered on flirtatious followed quickly by a sure and cocky smile as Jack felt his eyes stare intently at Bunny's toned stomach and abs, "as ya can see it's _fine_."

Jack scoffed quickly at the pun and rolled his eyes. He swore, Bunny's ego was growing every damn day.

Jack finally nodded agreement, his gaze going to the desk and then shooting forward to nab up a piece of paper and a pen. He scrawled a lazy note on it and then slapped it onto the pillow with his signature and then Bunny grabbed it up and pointed for the clothes and cloak he'd pulled out.

Jack stepped towards the cloak and felt his throat tighten as he gazed at it. He leaned down and picked up his cloak—_his_ cloak that _had_ been riddled with mud, holes and tears—and saw that it was patched up, cleaned and had some length added to it and sported a mixture of hairs that looked _oddly_ like bits of Bunny's fur.

"Ya like it?" Bunny asked, sounding uncertain. "Ah…Ah had mah mother fix it up fer ya. She's _very_ good at tailoring. She had ta fix all of mah clothes from when Ah was a young buck. Ah tended ta—"

Jack heard Bunny grunt as Jack grabbed him up in a crushing hug, squeezing tightly and nodding. "Thank you. It's…it's the last thing I have from my _real_ mother." Jack pushed back and wiped a shaking hand across his cheek, pushing back at the tears of joy that threatened to spill. "But when did you _ever_ get the time to tell her about this—and _how_ did you know it was important?"

Bunny grinned then as he tugged on a pair of bracers that were adorned with amber gems at the forearm followed by pastel colored gems along each knuckle of the bracer's hand guards. "Ah don't know how Ah knew it was important ta ya…Ah just did." Aster shrugged, then added, "Ah managed ta sneak in some time ta speak with mah mum for a brief moment during the party and she assured me that she'd have the cloak fixed. However Ah don't think she was able ta save yer trousers or yer shirt."

Jack shrugged it off as yet another mystery to whatever made up them. "Those weren't as important as this." Jack shucked his clothes off, ignoring how Bunny's head tilted to the side and a heated look overtook his features again at Jack's nearly nude form before Bunny shook his head out of Jack's peripheral vision and turned to go gather something else. Jack pulled on the clothes and then turned, heading for his staff and stopping in surprise when Bunny held it out to him. Jack smiled, taking it from Bunny. "Just what I was heading for."

Bunny smirked, going to his dresser, digging around on top of it for a moment in one of the small containers that adorned it and then tossing a key into the air when he finished digging. Jack watched as Bunny looked at him warily as he turned around and beckoned for his wrists.

Jack snickered when Bunny glanced at his eyes. "Yer…yer not going ta go flitting off on me if Ah take yer shackles off…are ya? Ah…Ah want ya at yer full strength, but…" Jack felt Bunny's angst as he leaned forward and pressed his forehead against Jack's, who returned it by rising up on his toes. "But…Ah don't want mah _Mate_ taking off on me after Ah'd just found 'im."

Jack's heart clenched at the worry that filled that confession. Bunny was absolutely scared_—terrified—_of losing him, and Bunny didn't even really _know_ him! Jack sighed, rolling his eyes and rising up to press a light kiss to Bunny's Human nose, grinning when he scrunched it up.

"I won't take off on you. But I _would_ like to have access to _all_ my powers, _if_ we need them." Jack held out his wrists. "Aster, I swear on an oath," Jack raised his staff, pressing the crook's edge onto his palm and dragging it across it in an X, "that I, Jack Frost will _not_ fly off on you on this trip unless you tell me otherwise."

Jack watched as Bunny glared down at the blue, scarred and looking as if lighting had shot through each line, X that would remain on his hand until they returned to the bedroom. A deal sealed with magic—punishable by death, or worse yet a curse that promised years of suffering under one's greatest fear without the courtesy of death afterwards. Jack watched as Bunny lifted that hand and gave the X a light kiss before he unshackled Jack's left wrist followed by his right. Jack watched as Bunny set the bracers and the key onto his dresser. Bunny then hefted the hood of his cloak up and sent Jack a troublesome grin that could've matched one of his.

"A'right, mate, let's head fer the West." Bunny snatched up the sheet of paper and Jack had a brief moment to see the name 'E. Aster Bunnymund' written in precise handwriting that was elegant and holding swift loops that spoke volumes to his writing teacher. "Ah figure we get there, spend the day exploring for information and then spend the night. From there we can make our way back, especially since Pitch'll be on us like a vulture ta a carcass by that time anyway. He'll _probably_ be the one ta knock on the door in the mornin'."

Jack followed Bunny as he descended along the roof and landed quietly below. Jack flitted off the rooftop on a gust of wind and landed just as silently. Bunny waved, leading him towards the edge of the Castle walls and then shifting, making Jack realize Bunny had _skipped_ shoes on this particular trip and instead had wrapped some leather bindings along the arch of his foot that morphed along with his shape to sit halfway along his hind feet. Bunny waved Jack over, hauling him onto his back and then saying:

"Say _anything_ relatin' ta a horse and Ah will buck ya right up inta the top of the tunnel and knock some bloody sense inta ya along with givin' ya a headache ta which ya can think of every time ya _want_ ta mention it again."

Jack snorted out a laugh at the threat and nodded. "Got it."

He gripped Bunny's neck and looped his legs around his waist, whooping with glee when Bunny shot off down the tunnel at a break neck speed on all fours—making Jack _want_ to try racing against him with his winds before he realized that _this_ was how Bunny had caught up to him as he flew unobstructed through the air—by running along the ground at this quick pace on all fours, which also explained why Bunny had tackled Jack in this form.

To say Jack was impressed was an understatement.

* * *

The Plot thickens... ;)

Dem Reviews, keep them up! I lurve them! Right back to cruising through Tumblr and fumbling things up with ineptitude...OH MY GOD I FOUND THE BAT PAGE GG NO RE! (squees at their adorable-ness).

To **Optimistic Emo Kleptomaniac**: Oi, check yer damn emails/PMs ya slacker ;) I NEED YOU (screeches like JonTron).

To **Ultravioletlex**: Give it time lol. Bunny's trying not to push/scare Jack away, but once they get more coo-coo 'I love you' it'll happen a bit more frequently :)

To **Good Witch of Babble**: All the things you mentioned haven't happened yet lol. Its inevitable, of course, but as you might've read Jack panicked and shot from the bed that morning soon as he heard a knock on Bunny's door...and ruined Bunny's morning haha. Bunny's got mixed feelings about the going slow bit. I hinted towards it, but essentially he's _relieved_ Jack isn't freaking but _nervous_ about approaching Jack with his needs because he doesn't quite trust that Jack'll stick around after the fact.

To **yey**: I'm glad I didn't F the clarification up for you :) I have your vote jotted down in the word doc darlin'. Also I got 11 hours of sleep last night, throat finally made it possible and I ended up diagonal on a square bed...do you have any idea how confusing that was to wake up too? lol. Oh and thanks for your review on that one shot that was requested. I _would_ do more but at the moment I'm out of ideas haha.

To** Shanatic**: I love you, so why wouldn't I like your reviews? Nest sharing and grooming...(slaps bow and gold star onto image in head) Der Humpkin mothafucka.

To **Lady Lombax**: Sleep is overrated! It makes your mind work right and bars you from making bad decision-oh...I see your point. Glad you liked my Chapter even thought I was nutters that entire day.

To **Lady Minuialwen**: You winkin' at me boi? Just kidding, don't take offense to that please it's a joke XD In response: ;) why hello there, you havin' fun readin' or just happy to see me? Haha I had no other response to you so I made this up!

To** Jimbob Delilah**: I _should_ get to keep you, I _did_ name you after all and don't you know the saying: "You don't name something, you get attached to it if you name it"? That's totally our situation (please know I'm joking...or am I?). Also as you saw no, Aster doesn't fuckin' listen. He's a bit of a mule haha. As for Tooth, her bits upcoming. They're heading to the West Kingdom which is where Tooth was 'born'. I _think_ it's like in the next 2 Chapters or so that Tooth gets a bit of a showing for you guys :)

Finally to **Rychan6**: Did you need to fan yourself from the fluff?


	8. Chapter 7 - The Western Kingdom

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

However! I do own this bloody plot and this damn world along with a few well thought out ideas.

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Chapter 7: The Western Kingdom

**Summary**: After walking through the Western Kingdom Jack and Aster are seconds away from landing after boarding one of the flying ships to get to the Western Kingdom Castles when an attack happens. After nearly stalling the ship they get to the Western Kingdom and are immediately greeted by an irate Queen, who at first is tentative to extend her helping hand before she agrees to help. A long day of research and an exhausting amount of effort wears Aster out—allowing for something bestial to step to the forefront.

Bunny led Jack forward through the Western Kingdom's ground lands—the ground area one had to cross into and scale upwards before they could take the flying blimp that acted as a ferry to and from Queen Bloodfeather's Kingdom. Jack stopped to marvel at the area, having never been to this part of the Western side of the world. He couldn't keep the awe from his face as he stopped, gripping Bunny's cloak to get him to halt so that he could gaze up at the stairways that were carved from mountaintops outside and somehow those stairs were preserved against the salt water of the Ocean just behind them. Jack sent a pleading glance to Bunny who rolled his eyes, taking his hand and leading him forward into one of the many shops, which would lead them into the inner ground level City, with a look that said in simple terms: 'Look but don't touch—_or_ steal.'

Jack sent a sheepish grin towards Bunny and gripped his staff tightly with both hands after looping his arm around Bunny's. They stepped into the shop, the door having a gorgeously pattered stain glass door adorned with colorful cuttings of tiles that were swirling as if a gust of wind was cutting across the wooden door and laying the tiles along it. Bunny then opened the door, allowing Jack to walk in first and chuckled when Jack's mouth fell open in outright awe as he looked at the interior of the large mountain that held a bustling City within its confines—the shop they had entered in through opened towards a main throughway that led to other shops, homes and indoor parks—all within the confines of the hollowed out mountain.

The inside was a bustling City, carved from the mixture of Earth and stone innards of the mountain, adored with circular skylights that sat atop the mountain and acted as a roof which allowed for sunlight to filter through. Each store held unique foods, some stores held weaved tapestries, others held jewelry but the one that held Jack's attention as they took time to wander through the area was the elaborately made snow globes. Jack bit his lower lip, leaning forward and gazing at one that held a wintry scene of an area that looked similar to this one.

Aster smiled warmly at Jack's utter awe of the Western Kingdom. Of course he'd be lying if he said he wasn't floored by the West either—and they hadn't even _got_ to the actual Castles yet. Those hung from the many caves above the Ocean under the floating islands. It took a steam run blimp to get to the locations if one couldn't fly, like Aster—but if one could fly like Jack or Tooth then the Castles were easily within reaching distance. Aster gazed towards Jack as he peered at the snow globe feeling his Pooka side push for him to Mate with him while out from under the peering gazes of his family and friends. It was nearly overbearing, and getting _harder _to resist. Aster shook off that pressing want—_need_—and curbed his more primal side that threatened his sanity when it came to Jack.

They were bordering on four days now without being Mated—three days longer than a normal Pooka warrior could stand, but then again Aster had never _been_ a normal anything. Aster sighed, unable to stand the way Jack looked at the snow globe any longer and gathered the attention of the merchant. He handed the money over after a healthy bartering, adding in extra just because the merchant was especially nice even though they'd settled on a sure price. Aster handed the snow globe to Jack who looked about ready to refute the purchase before Aster leaned down and gave him a light kiss—silencing his protest.

"Don't fret over it. Ya deserve a treat every once in awhile." He replied, looping his arm around Jack's shoulder and taking his staff to keep Jack from dropping the snow globe from trying to handle it and his staff. Aster escorted Jack through the rest of the expansively carved out innards of the mountain that made up the lower City of the West and started the trek up the long staircase to the upper-most part of the mountain where they could board the steam blimps. They reached the top of the mountain and Aster held up his index and middle finger, saying: "Two."

"Twenty gold coins." The guy replied, holding out the two ticket stubs.

Jack opened his mouth to debate Bunny paying for yet another thing before he felt Bunny's hand on the center of his back pushing him forward. Jack stepped off to the side, wanting to walk beside Bunny so that he could still lead seeing as _he_ knew where he was going better than Jack did. Jack turned in a circle, hearing what sounded like gusting winds above them and curling forward in surprise when he was struck by a gale force wind. Jack sputtered as that wind knocked the breath from his lungs and Bunny laughed next to him.

"Try not ta face the winds mate, they're known as the breath takers fer a reason." Bunny nudged his side, to which Jack frowned at him before his mouth once again dropped in surprise when he spotted the steam blimp.

Jack had never seen a contraption like it in his life. It was _enormous_, looking to be bigger than anything he'd ever seen in the air and adorned with various windows, tethers, cloth and all held together by carefully carved wood that was painted with careful grace in more swirling shapes in various colors that was supported by varying metal bars. Jack gaped at the thing that held wings which looked as if they would fold out to catch the gust of wind before he felt another light push to his back.

"Come on Jacky, not much longer and we'll miss the flight." Aster told him, giving his back a light rub of reassurance as Jack looked a bit stunned and scared of the thing in front of him. Aster, normally, was scared of climbing into anything that flew—but for some reason he felt perfectly safe on these contraptions. "We'll be fine, and that's _me_ sayin' that."

He watched as Jack nodded his head, stepping forward with Aster as he handed the stubs off to the person at the plank which was laid out to allow them to step onto the blimp. Aster stepped off first, turning around and helping Jack down and keeping a firm grip on his waist as his form shook lightly. Aster handed Jack his staff, having a feeling that its familiarity would ease Jack's fears and relieved when it did exactly that. He felt the tension melt off Jack's frame and then Aster led them forward, checking to see what room they were given on the ship for the flight over. He led them to the small room, six by six foot and made for nothing more than sitting in, taking a seat and relaxing back into the plush cushions on the floor that acted as chairs for this Kingdom.

"So…how many times have you been here?" Jack asked, tilting his head and plopping down into a cross legged position.

Aster shrugged. "Ah take Tooth here a lot even though she doesn't even like the area. Ah _know_ she's a birdwoman, hell she was _born_ in the Castle—but that still doesn't change how much she dislikes the area. It has ta do with the fact that Tooth _knows_ that Queen Bloodfeather is only welcoming ta her because she wants Tooth ta consider the crown when she hits eighteen. Tina wants her ta move out here and Tooth wants nothing ta do with it. In fact Tooth is a bit freaked out by how motherly Queen Bloodfeather acts ta her and how much it feels forced compared ta our real mother."

"So Tooth comes out here a lot?" Jack asked, raising a brow. "When's the last time she dropped by?"

Aster frowned and shrugged. "A few weeks before mum got really sick again and _months_ before yer arse showed up in the Kingdom." Aster then leaned forward smirking towards Jack as he pointed to the snow globe he held. "Just so ya know, that's the uppermost Northern Kingdom for the West. It sits right next ta the North's Western most Kingdom and if ya ever want ta go there ya let me know. One of mah few good mates lives up there and he's always up for a snow licked jaunt. Ah'm sure ya'd love it—me, not so much. Ah have a low tolerance fer cold."

Jack chuckled as Bunny smiled warmly before sitting back and looking cocky as ever as he put his hands behind his head and leaned back into the wall behind him. Jack turned the globe in his hands upside down, shaking it briskly and then flipping it right side up. He sat and did that a multitude of times before he glanced over to Bunny. He noticed his brows were knitted, exhaustion was evident on his face and he looked as if he was fighting back something that was causing him to strain himself. Jack was about to open his mouth and ask Bunny what was the matter when a shout sounded out from the hallway just outside of their sitting room.

Jack jumped, hearing the thumping of feet outside in the hallway followed by him setting his globe down the second Bunny lurched to his feet towards the door and immediately pushed into Bunny's back when he headed for the door. They stood there for a moment listening before something banged into the door. Bunny grunted in front of him as the door cracked open slightly and hit him before he reacted quickly, pushing his shoulder into the door and using his weight to force it closed. Jack watched as Bunny's eyes darted around the room, jerking back towards the door as the window on it cracked and a knife shot through the cracked window in a sharp jab connected to someone's hand. Jack, acting on reflex, shot out a bolt of ice and heard a pain filled yelp on the other end of the door, the knife retracting through the hole and Jack immediately slapping his hand to the cracked window and icing it over. He glanced up to Bunny who turned his gaze to Jack and nodding to the window.

"Out the window mate, Ah'll be right after ya." He directed, grunting again when the door cracked open with another heavy heave from the body beyond it and he had to put his weight back into it to get it to close while shouts sounded out in the hallway.

Jack darted for the window, opening it and hiking his form through it. He straightened as his feet hit the deck beyond before he pointed the crooked end of his staff towards the door and directed a spark of ice towards it, acting as a bolt lock for the time being and allowing Bunny enough time to grab up the discarded snow globe and jump through the window just in time for the Tribe assassin to burst through the door—knocking it from its frame. Jack watched him rush forward towards the window, to which Jack slammed shut on his face soon as Bunny was through it—hard enough to leave a face print on the window—and followed Bunny when he was tugged out onto the more open viewing deck of the blimp.

Jack watched as Bunny stuffed his snow globe into his bandolier before he dug around in it and produced two weapons that Jack had seen in the Tribe lands. Both were shaped in a ninety degree angle, but both held various differentiating similarities. One held smooth edges to it while its cousin held a single smooth edge with a tooth-like side opposing that smooth side. Jack raised a brow at these weapons, wondering why Aster would use them on a moving aircraft.

Aster turned sharply and narrowed his gaze on the Tribal assassin. Aster watched as he lurched from the window and before he could gain his footing Aster watched as Jack's form next to him ducked, his palm slapping onto the deck and a trailing of ice shot towards the Tribe member's foot before it hit the deck. Aster smirked as he lost his footing, seeing his opening and letting loose one of his boomerangs. He watched as it smacked into the assassin's head, stunning him briefly followed by Jack shooting a gust of cold wind towards him and distracting him from the second boomerang Aster had already let loose in short succession to the first. He heard Jack wince with an 'Ohhhh…that's gonna leave a mark' as the second boomerang hit into the Tribe member as well and ricochet off like the first had. Aster felt the boomerang circling back towards him and lifted his left hand to catch the first boomerang when it returned, twirling it on his index finger and then catching the second as it flew back to his right. He twirled both weapons on his fingers before he then holstered them when the resident soldiers of the Western Kingdom piled out onto the open deck, which had since been emptied of panicked innocents, followed by the soldiers pointing their sharply edged spears towards both the unconscious Tribe assassin and then Aster and Jack.

Aster smirked, glancing over to Jack who was grinning ear to ear even though he had a spear point right under his nose. Aster chuckled, unable to remember the last time he'd ever actually had _fun_ when it came to battle—surprised at how well they had worked in tandem together without needing to even speak. Aster felt a welling of pride for Jack, before he felt that pressing urge again to make him his Mate yet again—the short battle acting as fuel and flaming the certainty he felt when it came to Jack being a superb choice in a Mate.

He shook it off again; ignoring how choking that need was becoming and focusing on the sharp edge of the spear under his nose. He slowly raised his hands and glanced to the familiar face in front of him. He grinned when he recognized the stern face in front of him, giving her his familiar confident smile and adding that sure cockiness to his voice.

"Woah, ladies, easy with the pointy objects." Jack turned a confused look up to Bunny as he said this, watching as he lowered his hood and grinned towards the woman who was brandishing a spear right under his nose. Jack's eyes widened briefly when he heard Bunny's tone, surprised that he'd dare to make a joke at a time like this. He watched as Bunny's brows rose as he admired the tip of the spear. "Ah see ya managed ta get a better blacksmith. These are so sharp Ah think ya could split a hair."

"Prince Aster, what are you doing on this ship?" The bird-woman in front of Bunny asked before she turned and nodded towards the Tribe member. "And why did you bring this rat with you? He has caused nothing but trouble since we took off—although seeing as he was chasing after you I'm assuming you either swindled money from him in a bet, slept with his wife or significant other—or worse yet spurned him after sleeping _with_ him."

Jack snorted out a laugh, hearing that end bit and unable to contain the chortle that escaped and slapped his hand to his mouth when Bunny glanced to him with a cocked brow. He really _should _be furious with Bunny's apparent reputation for sleeping around, but after another stress inducing attack from the same assassin that had tried to kill Bunny once before, Jack found himself in a fit of uncontrolled laughter.

"Oh great, ya broke 'im." Bunny murmured. "Listen sheila, that bloke there tried ta kill me just a few days ago and he escaped from the Northern Kingdom's jailhouse last night. How he kept up with us, let alone tracked us, Ah'll never know, but Ah can assure ya Ah didn't come here fer trouble. Ah came here seeking knowledge."

The soldier in front of Aster gave him an assessing, up and down, look. He had run into Tina Bloodhfeather's daughter multiple times before and to honest, the woman was scary. She was pleasant enough, but _scary_ when in battle. She didn't have an ounce of fat on her being; she was big and muscular with shoulders built for battle and legs that maneuvered with grace when a sword or spear adorned her hands. Her hair was made completely of feathers, a tawny brown color that looked like natural hair unless one examined it closely. Her face was heart shaped with strong features and piercing golden eyes. Her lips were adorned with the classic matte brown color all upper-class soldiers wore while in uniform and her eyes were painted in the bright blue color that covered the area from the top of her eyelids to the edge of her eyebrows, flaring outward as if a the powder was left to run its course from the winds. She wore a matte colored brown skintight suit with an open back to allow her feathered wings to rest at her back, ready to be spread at a moment's notice uninhibited by the armor that adorned her front, lacing behind her after the shoulder blades and providing ample protection. Aster, feeling as if the woman might actually hit him soon—and it would hurt for a _week_ like last time—bowed, crossing his right arm across his chest and nudging for Jack to follow suit.

He mentally sighed his relief when Jack followed suit, having not been taught this but being perfectly capable of pretending. Aster straightened and saw the glittering mirth to Princess Lia's eyes.

"Aster, mother is not going to be pleased with your presence." She told him, her voice gentle and softer than it had been when she first approached Aster with her gruff and deep voice—the one she used to assert authority and garner attention. "And you know I will have to let her, along with North who probably doesn't know you've gone missing yet again, know of your arrival—and you _know_ how much mother hates entertaining."

"No entertaining necessary. We'll be explorin' the vast libraries fer most of our stay." Aster nodded his chin towards the Tribe assassin who was still out like a light. "Can ya do me a favor though and keep a close eye on that one? He got out thanks ta a Southern Kingdom's assassin that's apparently after both of us fer some reason and he egged that Tribe member inta comin' after us."

"But of course." Lia replied with a nod. "If you would please join me this way." Lia led them forward, clasping her helmet back over her head after having removed it to question Bunny. Jack stepped up to her side to marvel up at the woman who stood a good foot taller than even Bunny, surprised when her golden gaze directed itself towards him. "Who is your guest?"

Jack watched as Bunny grinned, seeming to beam happily as he looped an arm around Jack's shoulders and tugging him to his side. "He's Jack Frost—no he isn't goin' ta cause any mischief or steal anythin' so relax." Bunny immediately replied when Lia's shoulders tensed briefly followed by them relaxing when he soothed her over, almost as if she took Bunny's word to heart. "He's mah Mate—but we haven't done the Mating yet…so Ah guess he's just mah intended Mate at the moment."

Lia halted and turned, that golden gaze snapping to Jack and making him feel as if he had just become the main focus of a crow as those eyes jerked along his frame with a scary intelligence hidden behind such a fearsomely beautiful face. Jack gulped, gripping his staff tighter as the room temperature dropped as he grew nervous under that assessing gaze. Lia smiled suddenly, softening all of her hard features, nodding her head.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Jack." She stated simply, turning again and leading them forward. "The few messages I have received regarding your escapes from various jails hails you as a troublesome trickster with a knack for picking locks with ice. Do not believe that you will not be watched like a hawk, Mr. Frost." Lia then turned again and glanced over her shoulder, changing the subject. "I beg that you be patient with mother and take no offense if my mother is short with both of you. She hates entertaining unless it's Tooth—and even then it's only bearable."

Jack nodded absently, lifting his nose and smelling something in the air as they followed Lia through the hallways that led to the sitting rooms of the blimp—the air holding a hint of a spicy scent that burned Jack's nostrils. He wondered what that was and soon found out—he'd also discovered what something called curry was—and he couldn't eat it. Bunny chuckled from in front of him halfway through a courtesy meal from Lia, setting a yellow colored mixture next to him and pointing his silverware at it for Jack.

"That's mild. It's still got a bit of kick ta it but ya should be able ta properly enjoy it." Bunny told him, encouraging him to try it and pouring out some mango based chilled beverage that cooled Jack's mouth temporarily. Bunny chuckled again as Jack took another bite of the mild curry and still had a hard time eating it without feeling like he was cooking himself from the inside out. "Maybe ya should stick ta the rations."

Jack nodded, rubbing his throat and sending a sheepish grin towards Bunny. His voice was hoarse when he said, "I never even knew food like this existed! It's good, but I can't handle how hot it is."

Bunny nodded, tucking another healthy portion into his mouth and setting the plate he had dipped his food into for Lia who did the same without a second thought. Jack watched the two interact, realizing that they'd met more than once in their life as they chatted briefly about how things were with one another followed by both of them seeming to know when the other needed a refill on the mango drink that Jack was nuts for. Bunny raised a brow towards Lia, offering the woman at the table the last portion. Jack would find out, thanks to Lia filling him in, that this habit—seen as a courtesy in other Kingdoms—was apparently frowned upon by the Western Kingdom. It was seen as demeaning—insulting—to the strong Amazonian birdwomen. Bunny only got away with it because she knew he meant no offense, and they were apparently _that _good of friends. Bunny then turned to Jack's glass and without need to ask, poured out the remaining mango drink into Jack's glass.

Jack grabbed up the drink and watched as Bunny sat back, looking a little better from having had a healthy meal.

Aster sat back with a heady inhale, patting his stomach and feeling a million times better with food in it. He then felt the blimp rattle as it docked and he stood with Lia, offering his hand to Jack when he stood and feeling relieved when Jack took it—his treasured snow globe tucked safely away in Aster's bandolier. Jack followed behind Aster and froze again, gazing up at the Castle that hung from the bottoms of the floating islands.

"Woah…" He murmured, once again letting the awe show in his voice.

"Mmmhmm." Aster agreed.

The Western Kingdoms were _all_ this beautiful in their looks. They hung from the bottoms of the floating islands as if they were bird nests made of cement and had a wide array of gold, purple, red, blue, green and yellow tiles that were no bigger than an inch in size and each Kingdom was adorned with large gems that had been mined from the mountains, shaped and polished to perfection. Each part of the Castle had been handmade, each tile carefully adorned with care in just the right order to make one think of an overly elaborate lamp as diamond shaped, seemingly wind scattered, tiles glittered in the bright sunlight. Each building was the size of North's Castle and there were _many_ clusters of these buildings all interconnected by platforms and sturdy roofed ramps with hand rails to them to keep people from falling over. Aster knew the place they were aiming for was through the initial Castle, which was off to the left. They were currently at the 'visitors' Castle, where the people of the West's land dwellers came to check up on their incomes, collect their wages or even pay their tax for food or rent. It was also the place to which people could request an audience with the Queen herself—and often times she lent them her ear, a Royal first before a grouch.

"This way please." Lia stated, Aster watching as the Tribe member was dragged off to the farthest right building where their jailhouse was. "Mother is going to be irritable today. It appears that she's not happy about the Tribe member. Nor is she happy with the knowledge that he got onto the blimp and tried to kill you—apparently again."

Jack leaned into Aster and tugged on his arm with his hand that held the staff. "Uhh…how does she even—"

"They're all linked up here." Aster answered, tapping his temple. "Talk about yer lack of privacy."

"Careful Prince Aster." A booming voice replied.

Jack halted in surprise as a woman, taller than even Lia, stepped out from the front entrance of the hanging building they were about to walk out of. Her head was adorned with three brightly colored yellow feathers that looked as if they grew naturally from her head—a lot like Tooth's single golden feather that she combed back from her hairline. He gaped up at the woman who looked a lot like Lia aside from how much more prominent her cheekbones were and how her purple eyes seemed to glitter as if they were amethyst gems reflecting in sunlight. Her lips were adorned with a pale pink and her eyes held the same make up style as Lia's, except hers was a royal red and gave her face a much more sinister and regal air about it. Her clothes, on the other hand, were elaborate and intricate. Her garb was a bright green color, like that of a peacock, and held what felt like a train of peacock feathers along the back of the dress she sore. Feathers shot upwards along her cowl and framed her face, just _barely_ ending before they graced her strong jaw line. She looked down her nose at both of them and Jack once again felt as if he was an ant.

He watched Bunny bow again, lower than he had with Lia and he followed suit without needing to be urged to. He stayed as long as Bunny did, straightening when he did and gulping when he realized that woman pit an unwavering gaze on him like Lia had—but this one had a much more predatory glimmer to it. She raised a brow, dismissing him with nothing more than a:

"Steal anything from my home, Frost, and I drop you like a weight from this very building with no conduit and magic nullifying shackles to your wrists."

Jack blanched, paling at that threat. Bunny barked out a laugh, looping his arm around Jack's shoulder and hugging him to his side.

"She's jokin'." He murmured, snickering as Jack blinked up towards him in disbelief. "Lia, tell him she's jokin'."

"She isn't joking." Lia replied with a quirking of her lips.

"Prince Aster I do believe you said you were here for information? Let's not dawdle, I have already sent three messengers to retrieve North and he will most likely be sending Pitch here to fetch your ever adventurous, nearing on fraudulent, ass."

Jack glanced up to Bunny and quirked a brow, wondering why he wasn't insulted by the Queen's words, then he realized that Bunny honestly didn't _care_. "You _need_ to tell me how you got this reputation you have that has so many interesting titles to it."

Bunny snickered. "Ah'll tell ya tonight, how's that? Fer now Ah need ta focus on what Ah'm lookin' fer."

Jack nodded, feeling Bunny's hand clasp his again and leading them through hallway after hallway as the Queen strode forward. Jack marveled at how proud the woman looked as she walked. Her back was utterly straight; her large bird-like wings curled against her back and looked to be a part of her dress in their folded states, unfurling only every so often when a gust of wind shot through the open ended hallway. Bunny walked alongside Jack, his grip easing and tightening. Jack glanced to his right, watching as Bunny's brows knit and relaxed, his face shifting every so often as if he was having an internal monologue with himself. Jack raised a curious brow before they took a sharp right followed by a sharp left. They walked across a ramp in seconds and then the Queen pushed open two tall doors that reached all the way to the top of the building and connected to the floating island's bottom.

"Prince Aster, what you are looking for is located here." The Queen stated firmly, her gaze going to Jack's. "Yours, Jack, can be found further down." The Queen turned to Bunny and pitted him with a steady look. "I will be back shortly."

Bunny raised a brow but nodded, watching as the Queen led Jack forward with a gentle touch to his back—which surprised him considering he expected that touch to be forceful and strong, not feathery and light. Jack cleared his throat and gazed up at the woman next to him.

"What…uhh…what am I looking for exactly?" He asked, not aware that he was even looking for anything.

The Queen glanced down to him with a sad smile. "All will be revealed to you in time. Right here."

Jack watched as she hauled another larger than life door open and then he followed her into the room, his mouth falling open at the rows of cylindrical containers that had faces along each side. Jack gazed at each picture, jumping in surprise when the Queen called for him to hurry up. He stepped up his pace and followed her, briskly covering the ground between him and her as she began to turn a corner. He then got distracted again looking at the endless rows of containers, marveling at the little things that flitted about along the roof area and jerking to a halt when the Queen handed him a single container.

"If you so wish, take this with you. When you are done with it set it under your pillow and one of my many helpers will come by and collect it when you are satisfied." The Queen then turned him on his heels with a strong grip to his arm and then walked him back forward again. "It is not every day I have the opportunity to be kind to a lost soul. I suggest you ask dear Tooth to help you with that container. She is attuned to the magic that is contained within the box. You can work it, of course, but with Tooth there the events will run in chronological order compared to sporadic bits and pieces."

"Got it." Jack murmured, wishing he'd have brought a backpack. "Do you have any idea as to why Bunny's here?"

"You mean Prince Aster, correct?" She asked with a regal air.

"Yea."

"He is here to find out about what chocolate has to do with the massacre of his Tribe." She stated bleakly. "I am afraid he will not like the answers he uncovers." The Queen halted him at the edge of the building Bunny was in and she turned Jack to face her. "He will be upset tonight. I also know he has expelled a surplus of his own magic to heal and to summon the tunnel you both took to the ground City, not to mention he is physically exhausted and in need of bed rest from injuries that he forced to heal without the proper rest. Even someone as distant as I cares for Prince Aster's health, he is exhausted and has pushed himself well beyond his limits. As his Mate I plea for you to provide as much comfort as possible and do whatever you can to keep him resting after today. However I do heed you not to address his Pooka side should it peek out. He is struggling to keep that side at bay, having surpassed the usual time it takes to officially Mate with you in order to give you the space you pleaded for." The Queen then glanced towards where Bunny was before he then said, "I heed that you coax him into staying tomorrow to rest. I have delayed my messengers by a day—"

"He plans on only spending the night here." Jack cut in, apologizing when he realized he cut her off.

The Queen smiled lightly towards him, kneeling down to get to his eye level and giving him a soft—almost loving—gaze. "I trust you to be able to keep him here for at least a day more to rest. Tooth…his entire _family _are worried sick over him."

"Can…can I ask how you know what's going on with him?" Jack asked, genuinely curious as he rattled the container from bouncing it on his thigh in nerves. "I mean...how do you know _any_ of this?"

The Queen tilted her head and smiled. "I am Tina Bloodfeather, and as you may realize I am telekinetically connected to all birdwomen. Dear Tooth is one of my children, genetically connect to King North and Queen Lillian or not. You see they came to me, seeking knowledge for a way to bare a child without putting Lillian at risk. I offered the use of one of my eggs, which can house only female hosts, and they accepted—which is why she is as she is. She is a birdwoman, born of two worlds just as much as Aster is…and you. I know all of Bunny's struggles through her. They speak openly with one another, a rarity for siblings, which is how I know of Prince Aster's struggles." She then cleared her throat. "I am also the keeper of knowledge _and_ store various memories for later use. I hold a plethora of historically accurate tomes, the very ones to which Aster is looking through as we speak and _all_ the memories of the people currently alive. As people pass on their containers are thrown away, unless of course something steps in to keep them from passing on—the crystal for example or a rogue element. Take your pick. Now, let's get back to Aster, shall we?"

Aster thumbed through the tome he held, peering at the images that played themselves out on each page in silent plays. His brows furrowed as he watched the members of his Tribe eat the chocolate that had been brought from the North and he froze when he saw his younger self watching as his father handed out the chocolates to the Tribe members. Aster looked up from the tome, the images freezing as if he had stopped reading the book as he remembered how happy his father had been when he'd received that gift from the North. It was considered a delicacy and a great showing of gratitude or favor if given chocolates from the North. Aster started suddenly as he remembered that day—a quick flashing in front of his open eyes as he remembered. It was the first day he'd tried chocolate—the first day he had been so sick his mother worried about him possibly dying.

His father had to use his Earthy magic to summon up curative herbs to mix in soups and water. When those didn't work his father turned to vegetation, manipulating certain plants to give him the things he needed. When that failed as well his father had chosen to do something drastic. He'd pushed his own Earthy magic right into Aster, curing him from the inside out by making him regurgitate forcefully by calling to the herbs and vegetation that had knotted itself painfully into his stomach to absorb the chocolate and pull it out when he threw up. It had worked, but that night he felt something shift inside. He felt the hinting of a powerful beast inside himself that night, something that was called forth by the chocolate yet able to keep it's wits about it within the confines of his dream. It was a night of restless, confusing sleep…followed by the morning when Aster woke up to hearing screams.

He turned his gaze back down to the book and watched in horror as the Pooka warriors hunched forward onto all fours, growing in bulk from their more Human-like size and becoming like beasts themselves in their looks and actions, their demeanor turning predatory and purely animalistic. Aster's eyes widened and he flinched when he saw one of the Pooka warriors be beheaded by one of the women of the Tribe when it had tried to attack her child. However the _worse_ thing he saw was on the next page.

He saw the image on the tome's page and inhaled sharply as another flash of light sparked his memory. He remembered that morning like the back of his hand in a suddenly bright light that flushed out his vision and took him right back to that very moment—his pulse hammering in his ears as he viewed it in full color instead of line art moving on a page.

His father looked drunk as he stood in the entry of their shack, leaning against the doorframe and bleeding profusely from his eyes and nose, blood burbling from his mouth as he uttered a warning to Aster and his mother: "Run."

Aster then watched as his father's form slumped forward and Aster had sprinted to him, watching as his father's gray toned—almost silver in its looks—furred Pooka warrior self flushed forth in what looked like a rippling wave as fur melted across skin. Aster had stood there watching in horror as his father's form bulked up to three times its normal size as a low, rumbling growl cut through the shack followed by his father lifting his face and snarling towards Aster. Aster stared in horror as dark eyes flushed out completely to nothing but black masses and Aster realized with a sick realization that his father was no more within that beast that had been so caring and protective of him before. Aster's father swiped out towards Aster, barely missing as his mother scooped him up from the path of that sharply clawed paw and then turning on her heel and running as Aster's father had said too.

Aster blinked back into reality, watching as the tome told a story he'd known since the day it happened—yet somehow forgot. Aster then froze, watching as his mother had grabbed up one of his father's potions, one of the one's used to ease traumatic experiences, and he watched in horror as his mother gave it to him—upending the bottle in a way to ensure he forgot this entire endeavor soon as his eyes closed that night when his mother had calmed him enough to get him to sleep. Aster blinked as the page turned blank. He knew what happened next without needing to look into it. His father, Orab, was the hardest being to take down. The Tribe had been laced with fear, blinded by it, which was why they had hunted Aster down along with his mother—fearing the son of Orab even though he had shown no signs of being a Pooka warrior at the time. It was why he and his mother had fled to the North and it was also why Aster had to take Pitch with him to his Tribe to get his tattoos—something he refused to go any further in his life without soon as he got his Pooka form. It was one of the few traditions he remembered, it was what made a Pooka warrior a man and it had been a dangerous endeavor. They were lucky the elders at the time were welcoming towards Aster, assuring him that _he_ was different—that they'd seen it in the bones of the beasts they ate and in the patterns of the sticks and leaves.

However that memory brought back the unbearable, mind numbing, echoes of pain from getting those tattoos. Aster's hands began to shake as he remembered the crude needle made of rugged stone being pounded into his skin with a stick, inserting the Tribe's ink into his skin permanently and having to force himself to shift back and forth between forms for the elders to mark his patterns right. It had been exhausting and mentally torturous—but it was well worth it. He had felt his father for a brief moment and knew he was proud of him and from that moment on Aster never doubted who he was.

It was a sad fact to know that after marking him those elders had passed on from old age within three years of doing it. How did he know? He'd checked the tomes here in this very room with his mother. He watched with a bleak heart as each elder that had recognized him proudly as a warrior pass on—leaving him with a Tribe that feared him and a Kingdom that didn't understand him, which in turn made them fearful _of_ him.

He closed the tome he had been holding, stuffing it away and going backwards in time to see if he could find where the Northern chocolate of that year had been derived from. He found the tome he was looking for only _after_ the Queen returned and handed him the right tomb. He turned to the page in question and watched as the scene played out, Jack's head right next to his arm as he watched it play out as well.

"It came from the South…" Bunny stated, watching as the chocolates that year were delivered en mass to the North. "But…why? Why would the South send _poisoned_ chocolate to the North to give to my Tribe?"

"Because chocolate _came _from the South up until recently. The cold works as a hardening agent that is faster and makes chocolate able to be molded into shapes and sizes that haven't been reached since the South had lost everything that made it a wonderful Kingdom to visit—despite the cold." The Queen supplied. "When the crystal turned on its King it turned on its Kingdom. All ingredients for chocolate were halted due to how dangerous it became to use the predetermined trade routes and the last haul that came from the South was given to dear Orab's Tribe from King North as what he assumed to be a great act of peaceful intent—until the chocolates turned out to be laced with a magic that killed the man and brought about his beast."

Bunny's fist smacked into the tome he held and he sent a piercing gaze up to the Queen. "Ah remember somethin' about this during North's lessons. Not a year after mah Tribe's warriors went berko Krampus tried ta take the bloody place over." Bunny rubbed his jaw in thought for a moment before he nodded. "He wanted ta take the place over—believing it would make it easy once our bloody warriors were taken out. They were the first ta go and he thought it would be easy ta take over the Tribe lands, pick up his entire Kingdom from the wasteland it was currently in and move it there after decimating the local populace…but just because mah Tribe had Pooka warriors didn't mean they didn't know how ta fight back. Do ya happen ta know what the ingredient used in the chocolate was?"

The Queen tilted her head in acknowledgement of Bunny's show of piecing together the Southern King's goal when it came to poisoning the Tribe that Aster was from. Jack noticed how proud she looked of Bunny for remembering his past lessons from North. "We do not know the ingredient used in the chocolate—nor do we even know if it is necessarily a _poison._ Nobody has been able to find out what it is. All we do know is that it is abundant in every bit of chocolate that is prevalent in the world now—which is why your mother refuses to give you even a taste. She fears you will become as your father, a raging beast without direction." The Queen sighed mournfully. "I wish I could have seen this happen before it had, but alas the tomes only inform me of knowledge after it has seen it course within history." The Queen then looked to Bunny. "I apologize for not bringing this up to you earlier, Prince Aster, but your mother was desperate to keep you from finding out the destruction you are capable of if given chocolate."

Jack turned to Bunny who handed to tome back to the Queen with a quick bow. "Thank ya fer lettin' me view the tomes."

The Queen nodded, placing the tome away and motioning towards Lia. "Please, take rest within my castle. I _know_ you need it Prince Aster. Tooth has inadvertently been filling me in with how the North has been of late and I am well aware of how weak you are."

Aster narrowed his gaze for a moment towards the Queen before he sighed and nodded. He gently gripped Jack's hand again—needing the comfort this time—and followed Lia to their bedrooms. It was a large living area adorned with pillows and a chandelier that was an oil lamp. The flooring was marble, the living room opening to a patio-like room that extended the length of their room and held glass panes to block the chilled breeze should they choose to close the open windows. Aster and Jack split, each heading for their separate bathrooms and showering before they each flopped onto their own beds. Aster immediately moved to stand up to close the door before Jack did it for him, walking towards the bed and curling into his side. It didn't take long for exhaustion to set in, along with the horrific realization he'd come to today, and Aster's eyes closed as he drifted off to sleep.

Jack, on the other hand, laid there silently and stared at Bunny. He couldn't _believe_ that Aster had been fighting off his need to claim his Mate for the past three, probably four now, days. Jack sighed out mournfully, feeling awful for putting Aster through that because he couldn't seem to push a few of his worries aside. The imminent war with the South, for instance, was a _big_ worry on his mind…not to mention how ominous the Queen had been this morning.

Jack rolled over onto his side and gazed out the window. He stared at that bright moonlit night sky and then felt the air around him shift. He froze, the warning from the Queen seeping into his brain about Aster a moment too late as he rolled around and found Aster in his Pooka form, which he hadn't fallen asleep in, staring intently towards Jack without a hint of consciousness to the gaze aside from a primal gleam.

"Aster?" He asked, slapping a hand to his mouth when he realized the thing next to him recognized that Jack had just acknowledged it. Jack watched as the Pooka's ears twitched and swiveled as he pushed himself up from the bed followed by that pink nose twitching along with those whiskers. "Uh…shit. Bunny? Bunny wake up…this isn't funny."

Jack didn't get a response and he scooted away from the Pooka in front of him, yelping when sharp claws dug into his hip and he was yanked back across the bed roughly. Jack swallowed nervously, summoning up an ice knife and putting it to the Pooka's throat. The being froze, its nose and whiskers still twitching before it snorted out a hot breath of air, seeming to brush off the knife at its throat, as it began to lean forward. Jack gulped, unwilling to harm Aster's Pooka form—or Aster himself in the process—and leaned back in order to keep some distance between Aster's throat and the knife of ice, tears gathering in his eyes as he began to run out of room.

He had to make a choice: Slit Aster's throat with his ice blade, or let _this_ side of Aster do whatever it needed to do to subside—even if for a moment.

Jack swallowed, gripping his knife and closing his eyes as he slowly ran out of space—his knife beginning to dig dangerously into the Pooka's throat.

* * *

Okay...this Author is thinking about making some serious mistakes and drowning her sorrows for a night sometime soon. I need to get away from my own head, I can't handle the criticism from it anymore lol. Scumbag brain. I'm also accused of being soulless for the amount of cliffies I leave you guys with...I'm okay with this. Outtie, lates!

Responses

To **Jimbob Delilah**: First off, thanks for your review with my little fluff piece that **Shanatic** and my rabbit may have induced (fucker keeps shedding white fur all _over _me, also you can see a picture of him on my tumblr if you're interested) and I am so glad that made your day better. Made mine better inadvertently (I'm _super_ depressed for some reason). I fucking _love _Icon for Hire now, looked it up the day after I got the review from you. I love me some rock music (I love chick singers in _proper_ rock bands lol...fuck I may love this band already). I look forward to always seeing your reviews! You make me all chipper and if I was a bunny I'd be doing binkies. Also the Fratellis are one of my favorite bands at the moment. Them and I'm a longtime Cake, They Might Be Giants, Offspring, etc...I have an expansive library of bands I like :/ However my current jam is that new Panic at the Disco CD. It really is _that_ good in my opinion lol.

To **Guest**/**Shanatic**: HA INTERNET HATES YOU! Why...why does it always turn to Django quotes?! Hey now, Aster knows how to bribe people. He got _Tooth_ to be bribed ;D

To **Ultravioltlex**: I can just imagine you squealing at the snow globe part. You're welcome :)

To **yey**: Yep! Well...they were. Guess you'll have to find out in the next Chapter.

To **Good Witch of Babble**: Bingo! You, madam, are very comprehensive with what you read. You're catching all my little hints and hopefully the above Chapter was just what you were looking for! The night is the next Chapter :)

To **Sticksandstones**: Well as you saw above Aster has a rather dark past :( Poor baby. You actually have no idea how hard it is to write this relationship. I have to tread so carefully lol, though Aster keeps sneaking in holding Jack's hand by me ;D. I have not read that series, sounds interesting enough. But 93 chapters?! That's exactly why I cut WoaD. I do _not_ want a story that long LOL and WoaD could have easily reached that length. In the mean time welcome back and I'm glad you're back ;D

To **Anon171717**: Ha I'm glad you're jiblets a-flutter with Royal Bunny...mine did too lol. Always refreshing to go 4 days without updating and getting a new name drop. Let's me know peeps are invested :D


	9. Chapter 8 - Sating a Beast

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

However! I do own this bloody plot and this damn world along with a few well thought out ideas.

**WARNING: **This Chapter contains scarification/biting. If this concept makes you flinch then please just be aware that it _is_ in this Chapter.

Happy Turkey Day if I don't get around to posting anything and of course Enjoy!

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Chapter 8 – Sating a Beast

**Summary**: Jack's faced with an uncontrollable beast that doesn't want anything more than it's Mate to be claimed—even if it's nothing more than a few bites and scratches, but what happens when Aster discovers the horrors of his other half? When faced with a conundrum, just how helpful can a simple sparring match be? And just how is Jack going to get Aster to stay and rest in bed?

Jack sucked in a sharp breath as he gazed at _this_ version of his Bunny. This being was _everything_ purely instinctual, everything that encompassed his Bunny's primal Pooka side. The being that was now looming over him with a sharp object biting into its throat kept leaning forward, nose and whiskers twitching as eyes darted along Jack's face—ears propping themselves forward on its head, swiveling ever so slightly as they picked up sounds Jack doubted he could ever hear. Jack knew this being meant business, _knew_ he wasn't getting out of this without something happening…but he didn't have it in him to slice Bunny's throat—insane from instincts or not. Jack let the knife made of ice melt in his grasp and he shuddered when the Pooka acknowledged that Jack had dropped his weapon, snorting out hot air into Jack's face and grinding its teeth in a purr.

Jack gulped, blinking up at the thing above him and seeing only small snippets of Bunny in that gaze—but they were muted and hidden below that ever prevalent, encompassing, primal gaze.

It was also scary as fuck.

"I need you to back up—please." Jack whispered tentatively, mouth dropping agape in amazement when the Pooka form shot backwards quickly, abiding by this request as it sat up on its haunches and regarding Jack with a tilt of his head. Jack relaxed when there was space between them before he whispered shakily: "Thank you."

Jack gulped in a breath of air and gathered his wits, unsure how to go about this without insulting the being in front of him—completely lost as to what was expected of him in this exchange. So, he cut to the chase.

"Is this about the Mating?" He asked it, watching as the being gave a sharp nod. Jack nodded in return, surprised that Bunny's Pooka side had intelligence enough to understand him before he lifting a hand and splaying the fingers between them. "Is Aster even here right now?"

The thing's head nodded, but then quickly shook. It leaned forward again, making Jack's throat tighten in a mixture of fear and uncertainty. He had no idea if this side of Bunny would hurt him or not—had no idea what he was even facing right now. This entire side of _his_ Bunny was something he'd only seen a glimpse of—and it had nearly got Aster killed as it blindly reacted to the Southern assassin.

Essentially, he didn't know if he needed that ice knife or not again. He blinked at the Pooka, staring at it intently for a total of three full breaths as it lowered itself onto its front paws and had a gut feeling that he was going to be alright…he _hoped_.

Jack gulped and watched as the Pooka being that was his Bunny reached a pawed hand out and gripped his leg, tugging him forward across the bed to his lap. Jack huffed out a sharp breath, scared of this side of Bunny due to uncertainty as to what _it _would do to him and began to shake uncontrollably as the Pooka above him tilted its head like a dog would to examine him, looking towards him with an assessing gaze. Jack hiked himself up onto his elbows and pitted a solid glare towards the Pooka, or should he say Bunny? He didn't know anymore—didn't care. If this thing was going to force him into doing this _now_ then he was going to assert something he felt was important. Jack pressed the palm of his hand into the Pooka's furred chest and kept it from leaning forward, looking up and meeting that darkened gaze that looked odd in the night.

"Listen…uh…Bunny? Aster? Whatever _you _are right now, I'm _more_ than willing to do this and I'm thankful that Aster's been careful in how he conducts his business with me pertaining to this whole 'Mate' business—but I want _Aster_ here for this, not unconscious." Jack stated with a frown, glaring towards the Pooka in front of him. "I _will_ fight you off and I _will_ freeze your furry ass to the wall if you push me into this without Aster being here—I just want a glimpse of him…please."

That apparently got the being's attention and Jack saw a flicker of something in the Pooka's eyes. The all-encompassing instincts of Aster filtered to the background for a moment and the Pooka's eyes drooped, the pupils retracting back enough to show that Aster was still _there _he just wasn't at the forefront. In fact Aster's eyes glanced over to him with a glint of relief before they drooped back closed before snapping back open. Then those eyes dilated back out again and the Pooka tilted its head and regarded him with a look full of query, seeming to ask him 'Was that enough proof?'. Jack gulped as the Pooka regarded him with curiosity, a small look of pride and joy crossing its features—reminding Jack once again that Aster was still in front of him, bulldozed by instincts and helpless due to exhaustion or not.

Jack pressed back against the furred chest again when the Pooka attempted to lean forward again. Jack cleared his throat and pitted an unyielding glare at the Pooka and then stated: "This is because we've stalled off on the 'Mating' thing…isn't it? You're stepping forward because you're worried about claiming me, right?"

Jack gasped when his hand was batted away without a care and he was caught off guard at how fast the Pooka half of Aster moved. One second Jack was glaring daggers at the thing, the next it was giving his cheek a loving lick that seemed to say, 'Yes, that's _exactly_ what this is about' before nuzzling Jack's jaw and beginning that grinding purr again as it lowered its mouth to the junction of Jack's shoulder and neck. He stiffened under the Pooka's unyielding grasp before he noticed that the being hadn't done anything more yet when it reached that destination. It simply froze, hot breath fanning out from its nose over the area before he felt its muzzle press against his chilled skin. Jack took in a few shuddering breaths to calm down before the Pooka licked its tongue out along the length of skin before it enveloped in its warm mouth. Jack arched, shuddering at the sensation of the Pooka's warm mouth over about five inches of his skin at the base of his neck, the crest of his shoulder acting as a halfway mark for the Pooka's mouth, before he gasped in pain when he felt that being's buck teeth first apply pressure before it broke skin and then suction that wound just so. It stung like no other, oh sweet gods did it sting, but at the same time Jack felt a shuddering of pleasure—unsure _why_ that painful bite felt so damn good, especially since Bunny had _blunt_ buck teeth. He cracked his eyes, groaning when he felt the Pooka hike him up after sitting up from suctioning that wound and giving another painful bite to his left side. Jack let out a sharp whimper of pain that was followed shortly after by that sharp gasp of pleasure.

_What kind of **sick** ritual is this?!_ Jack thought, wondering _why_ he'd even spoken to this side of Bunny—which was obviously the much more domineering side that was purely running on instinct—let alone acknowledge it. _Why_ did he think it had been a good idea to discuss the lack of Mating with the _crazy_ side of Bunny?!

Jack cried out in surprise when the Pooka above him let him drop back onto the bed suddenly and gazed down at him with dilated eyes in the light that filtered in through the patio's archway, the rims of those gorgeous green eyes nearly gone in the pale luminescent light, flushed out in black with only a sliver of green around the irises. Jack felt the first _real _pang of fear when he gazed into those purely animal eyes, eyes that saw him as nothing more than a body that would adorn _his_ markings and belong to him—everything _his_ Bunny didn't see him as. If anything _his_ Bunny had apparently been pushing off his instinctual need to mark him, waiting for _him _to give him permission—unlike _this_ being that was thrusting it towards him and not giving him a choice in the matter under the pretense that they had 'Waited long enough.'

Aster gazed down at Jack in a clouded state, unsure what was happening, uncomprehending and confused while he stayed in that fogged half-awake haze. He _had _been sleeping until something had nudged him awake—something _instinctual_. He knew something he, and Jack, hadn't agreed too was happening, was fully aware that Jack was both scared and seeming to offhandedly enjoy whatever was happening intermittently—but that sour laced scent of fear snapped Aster awake so suddenly it was like Jack had hit him with a bucket of iced water. He pushed back his primal need to finish the beginning process of marking his Mate and gasped, jerking backwards from Jack and stumbling from the bed, landing on his ass and crab walking backwards until his back met the wall by the bed. His eyes widened in horror as he gazed at Jack, his eyes zooming in on the bite marks that adorned each of Jack's shoulders—beginning to bruise and seeping small rivulets of blood that stood out darkly against Jack's porcelain skin. Aster was frozen, beginning to shake from the shock as he comprehended what _he'd_ just done.

Aster watched as Jack curled into himself after sitting up, hiding his head on his knees as his shoulders—marred with two bright red welts—began to shake followed by the temperature of the room dropping. Aster curled up into himself as well, beginning to shake and genuinely worried that he might hurt Jack further—and no longer feeling as if he could trust himself to sleep next to him without his _other_ side trying to claim Jack. He had known _that_ side wanted Jack, hell he wanted him as well, but he hadn't wanted to _force_ Jack into this. It was cruel, for one, heartless for another—especially since being Mated meant they were bound till they both died.

"Jack…mate…Ah don't—Ah didn't—" Aster lurched from the spot he had huddled into, unable to keep the horror of what he'd just attempted in his primal state at bay and barely keeping it from resurfacing as he rushed into the bathroom for both distance _and_ to relieve his churning stomach.

He propped the lid of the toilet seat up and puked, his body shaking uncontrollably from shock as he emptied most of his stomach's contents into the bowl. He slumped against the seat, spitting twice more before he felt another lurching of his stomach as he heaved another batch of his food into the toilet followed by uncontrollable shakes that racked his body—making it all the harder to resist a follow up vomiting.

His mind raced even though it was tired, burnout from expelling too much magic to heal in combination with moving too quickly after using that magic began to take its toll on him as exhaustion once again seeped into his bones. He shook his head in disdain, unable to believe that his Pooka side felt the need to step forward and initiate the Mating because _he_ hadn't started it yet due to his want to abide by Jack's need for _time_. He shuddered, wondering how he could be so negligent and feared that his mother's previous warning was going to become a truth. Aster's Pooka side had rushed to the surface to claim Jack—uncaring if he was willing or not. He groaned, feeling another heavy lurching in his middle and tossing up what felt like the final leftover bits of food from his dinner that night before he jumped as he felt Jack's chilled hand on his back.

Sure, Aster had found that inner peace with his Pooka self and managed to keep himself mostly in check—but he should have known it would rise up to claim Jack soon as it saw the opening. He felt disgusted with himself, more so than he normally did after he realized that he'd just slept with another one night stand just to sate his urges.

"It's alright Aster." Jack murmured, looking down at the man sized rabbit being that looked utterly pathetic with its head stuck in a toilet bowl as it vomited up its dinner. Jack knelt down next to Bunny, rubbing soothing circles along his back and whispering, "Its fine. I'm not mad—it just scared me is all. No harm done. Now come back to bed. You need to rest."

"No." Bunny ground out, his voice echoing in the bowl and making Jack crack a light smile at how silly his voice sounded with that echo. "Ah don't trust mahself ta not finish the Matin'."

Jack sighed, rolling his eyes. "Then let's finish it so that you can go back to bed _or_ we can finish it in the morning." Jack replied honestly, then said, "Really, Aster it's fine. I wouldn't be in here if it wasn't—but it _was_ scary."

Bunny groaned into the bowl and Jack bit his lip to keep from laughing again, his limbs still quaking with echoing shakes caused by what he'd just faced. Jack rolled his eyes when Bunny didn't move and then he hefted the large rabbit man onto his large feet and acted as a crutch as Aster brushed his teeth and used a healthy helping of mouth wash after, refusing to go to bed with the taste of vomit in his mouth. Jack then walked him to the bed and laid him on it. Jack curled around Bunny this time, murmuring soothing words in his giant ears and carding his fingers through Bunny's fur with what he hoped was a soothing motion. Bunny pushed himself flush against Jack, shaking again only briefly before his entire form went limp and Jack watched as Bunny's half lidded eyes immediately closed—and then he stayed still, breathing deeply and slowly as sleep encased him yet again.

Jack sighed out a breath of relief. He stayed up for another half an hour or so before he felt like Bunny's Pooka side was going to be dormant for the rest of the night thanks to the bite marks that adorned Jack's shoulders—which _hurt _now. Jack glanced to them, wincing when he realized they were purple now in color and raised—at least for the moment. Jack summoned up some of his chill and ran his hands over each wound, sighing in relief as the pulsing that had encased the wounds faltered to a numbed state. It wouldn't heal them, but it _would_ help them heal enough where they wouldn't bother him much while he slept. Jack rolled onto his back, heaving out an exhausted sigh. He pushed his trouble filled thoughts about what Aster had discovered today away, deciding to breach the subject with him later.

Then his mind tracked to the item the Queen had given him. He sighed, pushing himself up from the bed and padding across the room to his bedroom where he grabbed up the cylindrical container and gave it a light shaking. He heard the rattle within, frowning when he tried to figure out what exactly was in the middle of it and then setting away to examining it. The edges were gold, one end adorned with an image of a brown haired, brown eyed, caricature that looked vaguely like him. He tilted it, examining the container and pursing his lips as he took in the flat interior of the cylinder that looked like it opened like a bear trap due to the diamond shaped design that looked like a cover. He turned the thing over in his hands, sighing and shaking his head as he discarded it back on his clothes and trekked back into the living room.

He rubbed his face as he paced, letting everything settle into his bones again and beginning to feel the first hinting of stress—something he _rarely_ experienced on his own. He had a knack for having fun and ignoring anything deadline related, but ever since he'd found himself in the company of Bunny he'd been thrown into a world that felt stuffy and droll with an unforeseen number of things that held deadlines. Jack turned back towards the bedroom that Bunny slept in and narrowed his gaze towards it. He lifted his hand from his neck and looked at the X on the palm. If it wasn't for _this_ he'd have taken off to go find someplace quiet to think—in all it was fairly stupid for him to even _do_ the damn promise and imbue it with magic, making it unbreakable without proper punishment.

He rolled his head, falling down onto the cushion in a cross legged fashion again with a small gusting of wind to halt his descent just before his rump hit the cushion. He tucked his knees up and set his chin on the top of them as he wrapped his arms around them. He had a few things to think about, but the most pressing was actually in the other room. He was being shoved into a Mating he wasn't even familiar with, even _with_ Bunny's mother explaining it to him.

He clenched his hands in the silk bottoms that Queen Bloodfeather had given to him and Bunny for their stay. He needed to decide how he was going to deal with this 'Mating' that Bunny's instincts were throwing at him. He stared holes in the wall in front of him and he chewed on his lower lip, thinking about all the things that could be involved before he outright gave up—having _no_ clue just what _was_ involved. He had no idea if the bite marks adorning his shoulders were all that was going to happen, or if _more_ sat on the horizon. He sighed and laid flat on the cushion, wanting to be alone for a few moments and dozing off before Tooth was shaking his shoulder with a warm smile and an invitation he couldn't resist.

"There's nothing better than a good morning practice with swords." Tooth stated with a smile, brandishing a bejeweled saber and taking up a stance in front of Jack an hour later.

Jack raised his brow towards her, unsure what exactly he was supposed to be doing—having never actually _handled_ a sword before. Come to think of it he had never actually _really_ held a sword before. He used small daggers or knives, his magic and tended to avoid any and all confrontation. He didn't like fighting unless he absolutely had too, and when one could fly it was extremely easy to get away from anyone threatening you—especially if they were limited to the ground.

"Uh...Tooth, I don't know how to even _hold_ this thing right." Jack replied with a laugh, gasping in surprise when Tooth lurched forward with her saber. Jack barely dodged the stab before another followed, then another and finally Jack summoned up a gust of wind and shot backwards to put distance between him and Tooth. "Tooth, seriously…what am I doing?"

Tooth smiled warmly towards Jack, snickering before she lowered her saber and stepped towards Jack. "Before you do anything _too_ hard you start with the basic movements. I'll show you."

"So that barrage of attacks on a neophyte like me was just you being a jerk?" He asked with a teasing tone as Tooth smirked, jabbing him with the butt of her saber.

Tooth lined up next to him and spread her legs just so, glancing to him and saying. "Watch carefully."

Jack nodded, taking a step back from Tooth and watching as she raised her weapon and began to smoothly step to the right and left while swinging her sword in a circular path. Jack lined up next to her after watching her repeat these simple movements. He waited to catch up to her rhythm and then began to follow suit, at least with his feet. He stepped to the right, to the left, right, left and continued with that fluid exchanging of his weight until he had the footwork down before he added in the next part. He lifted the saber in his hand and set away to stopping his feet to mimic her sword's movements. When he had that down he set away to adding in his footwork. Tooth cheered for him as she stepped away, clapping her hands together and grinning.

"There you go. You've got that down." Jack sent her a quick grin before Tooth stepped back up to his side. "Alright, next basic move."

Jack nodded, halting his movements and watching as Tooth stepped forward this time and swung her saber in a downward arch. Jack watched her do this, taking a moment to marvel at the strength her small body exuded before once again working on his feet first before he moved on to working the sword into the fluid movement. He mimicked Tooth, noticing how much concentration she put into each graceful action and he briefly wondered just how good she actually was at swordplay. Tooth stepped off to the side again, grinning and nodding as she encouraged him to keep at it. She halted him yet again, setting away to teaching him another basic move that had him working on his feet first before he added in the sword.

Before long the sparring set in. Tooth was unforgiving in her swings, making Jack yelp frequently when she got her sword too close to him or halted it just before she skewered him. Jack huffed, hearing the crowd that had gathered in the gym-like arena whooping, cheering, shouting hints or just plain enjoying the show and laughing. Jack turned his head, seeing all the birdwomen and noticing that a few of them were missing either their right or left breast—those that had this feature had bows at their backs or within their grasp. He cocked a brow at this, turning his attention back to Tooth when he heard her flutter her wings and he just _barely_ ducked the swing that was aimed above his head.

He dropped and rolled, tossing the sword aside and summoning up his own made of ice. He noticed an immediate difference with this weapon, finally understanding what Tooth had told him when she had described the sword as an extension of oneself. He swung the ice blade in front of him, on the defense as Tooth sent him a barrage of strikes that he somewhat easily deflected. He didn't get his hopes up when it came to feeling like he was improving, though. He knew Tooth was holding back, could feel the hesitancy in a few strikes and felt when she shifted the saber's weight to keep the full force from knocking itself into him. He was thankful for that, because even with holding back her strikes were strong, true and aimed to injure…possibly kill.

Aster cracked his eyes, groaning and rolling over onto his side expecting to see Jack on the bed frowning down at him or furious—or worse yet giving him the dreaded 'silent' treatment that North had told Aster so much about. He shot up into a sitting position, the world dipping briefly from getting up too quickly before he sucked in a sharp breath—fearing Jack had taken off—when he saw Pitch sitting by the door. Pitch's gaze rose from a book he held in his lap and he closed it, frowning towards Aster and looking thoroughly pissed.

"Do you have any idea how worried North and Lillian are?" Pitch asked, letting his anger filter through. "You and Jack will be shoveling the stables for _months_."

"Where _is_ Jack?" Aster asked, his throat raw from last night's conversation with the porcelain god.

"He is sparring with Tooth." Pitch replied, bored.

Aster frowned towards Pitch before he pushed up from the bed. He was still reeling from the exhaustion that gripped him, which was exactly why he stiffened when he saw Pitch's form stand from the corner of his eye. Aster, reacting on instinctual urges for the time being, growled and bristled when Pitch stood from his chair with a threatening air. Aster immediately responded, hunching low and twisting while he lowered to all fours facing Pitch. His ears lowered backwards dangerously and his growl rumbled out through the room, signaling to Pitch that he was ready to pounce on him should he take another step forward. Pitch halted, narrowing his gaze towards him and taking a moment to read Aster's body language before he took a seat again, staying there unmoving until Aster felt that there wasn't a threat anymore—the fact that he had to come to that realization irritating him. He scoffed; mood dropping as he realized that he was still too tired to reign in his instincts properly. He shook his head out, chalking it up to the exhaustion that gripped him and going into the bathroom.

He came out a few moments later feeling a little better after a quick shower before he sat heavily down on the edge of his bed and faced Pitch. He sucked in a sharp breath, placing his Human hands on his face and giving his face a rough rub before he lowered his left hand and ran his right through his hair—ending with a tug at his hair when he reached the base of his skull.

"Why didn't she ever tell me about the chocolate?" He asked, clasping his hands together between his knees as he leaned forward onto his elbows. "Why didn't she tell me about _any_ of it?"

Pitch adjusted his position, leaning forward onto his own elbows and sending a gaze full of sympathy and care towards Aster as he said: "She's your mother. She wanted to protect you—and if she thought keeping some things a secret from you would protect you; then can you really blame her?" Pitch's voice lowered and he sighed. "She also didn't want you getting into any more trouble than you already are within the walls of the Kingdom. You're already considered a beast Aster, what do you think that reputation would change too should you ingest chocolate?"

Aster straightened, turning his gaze to Pitch and narrowing his eyes. "How do we know that's what's going ta happen? How do we know Ah'll turn into one of _those_ things? Pitch…Ah'm different. Ya _heard_ the elders when Ah went ta get mah tattoos. They said Ah was different."

Pitch shook his head, straightening and tucking the chair around the corner. "In what sense are you different Aster? Your elders…they were much like the crystal. Vague…mysterious…never giving the _full_ answer to a question. How do we know where you differ from those beasts and where you're one in the same?" Pitch sucked in a sharp breath, shaking his head with a bitter laugh before he added: "I _would_ suggest you leave it be, but I am far too aware that the second we get back to the Kingdom you're going to do something stupid—and it's going to involve chocolate."

Aster smirked briefly before he stood, turning in a circle and changing the subject as he asked, "Where's Jack? Ah need ta apologize ta him."

"He is down with Tooth in the practice area, specifically. Most likely getting his arse handed to him in the process." Pitch responded, chuckling when Aster froze.

"Prac...Practicin'? What the hell is he practicin'?" Aster asked, his heart beginning to thump loudly in his ears as panic gripped him. Aster panicked, knowing full well what Tooth was capable of if she yielded a saber. "He's not—they're not—are sharp objects involved?"

Pitch smirked, nodding and laughing as Aster lurched towards the door of his bedroom and out it. Aster hit the hallway and lifted his nose, panic gripping him as he caught Jack's scent and began to follow it. Practicing sword fighting with Tooth usually ended with lacerations, bruises and on occasion a need for stitches. Aster grimaced, remembering the time he'd taken her up on her offer to spar and having to have Sandy stitch his forearm up from her slicing his arm open after he made a snarky comment about girls and swords, back when he was _stupid_ and especially _cocky _from the burst of hormones that went along with getting his Pooka form. He could only imagine what she would do to someone like Jack who frequently made jokes and was inexperienced in swordplay.

Aster skidded across the marble flooring and halted when he saw Tooth and Jack in the center of a practice arena. He stood there for a moment taking in the sight before him. Tooth looked to be holding back with each swift strike, her movements graceful and her saber acting as she had been taught—a part of her. Jack, on the other hand, seemed to always be on the defensive—but he was holding up fairly well against Tooth—well he hadn't had any cuts yet at least. He blocked her swings with the clashing of the swords ringing out before Aster watched as Jack grinned sharply and tapped a foot on the ground. Tooth's foot landed on the ice licked floor and her footing slipped before her wings caught her and she took to the air with a frown adorning her face as Jack grinned up at her with that innocent look of his as he flashed those pearly whites.

It had been fine and dandy, a pleasant sparring match between friends for a distraction—and then he'd decided to summon up that lick of frost. It was amusing to see Tooth glaring down at him; and even funnier when she smirked towards him and tossed her saber to the ground to tackle him from the air. Jack let out a yelp when her form crashed into him and they set away to a healthy wrestling match. Jack struggled to get out from Tooth's ever persistent grip, snapping his teeth whenever her fingers wandered towards them and hearing her squeal in surprise with each snapping before they both laughed and Jack would manage to wriggle out from under her only to roll, shove and he even tried tickling her before she ended up on top of him again. She pried his right arm behind his back, pushing between his shoulder blades and pinning him to the ground before a rumbling growl sounded out through the practice arena.

Jack at first tried to lift his head, only to realize he couldn't do that at this position. Instead he rolled his chin along the floor and he sent his gaze towards Aster who bared his teeth towards Tooth as a rumbling growl sounded out from his form. Jack grinned suddenly, pinned to the ground by Tooth, surprising Aster back to himself when he laughed.

"Aster! Hey, how're you doing? Any better?" Jack asked from the floor, letting out a sigh when Tooth let him up. He pushed up to his knees and held out his arms to Aster, waving them up and down. "Well?"

Aster sucked in a sharp breath and sent a warning glance over to Tooth, who grinned sheepishly towards him with a muttered apology before she turned back to the saber she had discarded and picked it up. Aster knelt down next to Jack, hauling him up into his arms and stepping off to the sidelines as Tooth and Lia nodded towards one another before they set into a heated sparring match. Aster glanced down to Jack who crossed his arms and frowned up at him until he was set down. Aster took a seat next to him, sighing out a breath to relieve his tension from seeing his Mate pinned below another being—even if it _was_ supposed to be playful.

"Ah'm sorry." Bunny murmured.

Jack started when he heard that, raising a brow and glancing towards him after watching Tooth slice off a piece of Lia's clothing. "What're you sorry for?"

Jack watched as Bunny lifted his hand and pried the collar of Jack's shirt down. Jack watched as Bunny's brows knit and a look of disgust crossed his features. Jack rolled his eyes, tilting his head to look at the bruised marks before he shrugged.

"It's fine, really." He said this with honesty, then added: "What's the next part of the Mating?"

Jack chuckled when Bunny tensed next to him, his head snapping towards Jack's with surprise as his mouth gaped open. "Next? Jack…mate, Ah _bit _ya! Ah _marked _ya! Ah did _that _without even _askin' _ya if Ah _could_. How can ya be so…so…"

"Uncaring? Blasé?"

"Well…yea." Aster admitted, lost for words.

Jack turned to face him, clearing his throat and levering a hand between them as the clanging of swords echoed out next to them followed by heated grunts and the scuffing of shoes or flitting of wings. "Listen, Aster, you've been amazing about putting this off. I didn't know just what I was asking when I asked for time, but you've given me that. You're not pushing me to do anything I don't want to—"

"Ah did this." Bunny murmured dejectedly, lightly grazing his fingertips over the markings. "Ya didn't _want_ them, Ah gave 'em ta ya unwillingly."

Jack shrugged. "I…I think I _do_ want them, which is why I didn't fight you off. I know it's odd, and I'm still completely lost to everything that is…well, whatever _this_ is, but as long as we can do the Mating thing and still take our time with…well…_us_ then I say let's get it over with." Jack then cleared his throat. "It uh…it doesn't involve…uh…sex or anything…does it?"

Aster blinked at Jack, frozen. He must have sat there in stunned silence for a while because Jack soon lifted his hand and snapped his fingers in front of his face. He leaned back to get away from those digits before he gripped them and held them tightly in his hand. He stared at Jack's icy blue eyes, studying them intently and scenting the air to both see and smell the truth that sat between them. Jack's eyes lit with a glitter of humor before he leaned forward.

"When you sniff the air like that your nostrils flare hilariously." He murmured.

Aster shook his head, chuckling before he tugged Jack into his arms and curled around him—rubbing his jaw on his head. "Ah still feel awful about bitin' ya, but the rest of the Matin' is a few more marks. With those Ah'll be able ta give ya time till yer…er..."

"Ready for the next part?" Jack murmured.

Aster grunted his agreement, marveling at how nervous he was for the first time since he hit puberty when the subject of sex came up.

Jack snorted out a laugh below him. "Trust me when I say this about the biting: that'll turn into a kink soon enough I bet." Aster leaned back, cocking a brow towards Jack and giving him a look that seemed to tell Jack that he worried about his sanity. Jack simply responded with a look that held a mirthful smirk. "What? I bet when you're not all scary looking and acting funny I bet you'll be a little gentler—or not since I don't really know _how_ you make a _bite_ gentler. Case and point is you'll be up here," Jack squirmed from his arms and tapped Aster's forehead, "and I'll actually know the purpose of it this time."

Aster rolled his eyes. He stood up from the seats they were at and he turned to face Jack. He then leaned forward and gripped Jack around the waist, hauling him up and over his shoulder. Jack yelped in surprise before he started laughing, beginning to squirm on Aster's shoulder as he trekked through the hallways back to the bedroom. He noticed Pitch was still in the living room and Aster stepped past.

"Ah'd get out of 'ere Pitch. Ah'm goin' ta mark mah Mate." Aster said loudly and clearly, giddy inside as he levered Jack and tossed him onto the bed.

"Charming, Prince Aster." Pitch muttered before the sound of a door being closed rang out.

Aster stepped forward to Jack and crawled over him, shifting into his Pooka shape and nipping at his jaw. "Ah'm goin' ta bite ya again and then Ah have ta follow it with a healthy lickin'."

Jack nodded, shaking briefly below him and tilting his head down to lay a light kiss on the side of Aster's nose. "Then what?"

"Then," Aster lifted his paw and showed his claws off, "Ah carve this," he retracted his claws and gently took Jack's hand as he led it to his forehead marking, placing Jack's palm over it, "inta yer chest over yer heart." Aster shuddered as he imagined Jack wearing his mark before he added, "And if ya want ta Ah can add more of mah markins ta ya—but let's just keep it simple fer now, hm?"

Jack nodded, gulping and letting out a shaky breath. "Yea…simple."

Jack watched as Bunny lifted his head and sent a light smile towards Jack. "It'll be fine, mate. Ya only have ta do the scarrin' once—the others are optional."

Jack nodded, taking in a shuddering breath to ease his nerves again before he stared towards the _very _conscious Bunny and relaxing with a heavy sigh of relief as he lay back on the bed when Bunny nudged him to with his head, trusting Aster entirely. He bit his lower lip to keep from laughing as Bunny's fur tickled along his jaw followed by his cold nose nudging against the base of his head just below the ear. He curled up, or tried too, and had to let out the chuckle he tried to withhold. He felt Bunny's hot exhaling breaths on his throat, followed by his hot tongue licking out on his previously made bite wounds before he nipped at them lightly, making Jack hiss out a sharp breath and turn his head away to give Aster better access. He gulped, noticing that Aster's paw clenched into the bed sheets next to him followed by Jack arching against the bed when Aster once again bit down on his shoulder.

"Ow, ow, ow!" Jack hissed out between his teeth, hearing Bunny groan in pleasure before feeling Bunny grunt against his shoulder in what he assumed to be an apology before he released his hold on his shoulder.

"Sorry." He murmured, beginning to lap at the wound on the right crook between Jack's throat and shoulder. Jack sucked in a sharp breath and hummed, feeling a tingling sensation on the wound with each lap of Aster's tongue. "Can't be helped."

"S'fine." Jack replied, swallowing and humming as the tingling began to spread in a numbing effect. "What…why's everything going numb?"

"Just this area, mate. Don't fret." Aster replied, glancing up to Jack briefly before he nipped at the mark again and began licking the bleeding wound again, pushing the Mating magic into the wound to get the right side of Jack's chest to numb and allow for the Mating scarring to take. He hummed, enthralled with Jack's taste for a moment before he pushed up from his form and straddled his waist. He extended his claws on his right paw and gave Jack's chest a light prodding. "Feel that?"

Jack nodded and Aster frowned, leaning back forward again and biting down yet again. He laved his tongue over the wound and focused on pushing more of that numbing Mating magic into it. He tested the area again another three times before Jack finally cocked a brow towards him and gave him the OK. Aster leaned forward again, setting away to carefully etching his forehead mark into Jack's chest, licking the wound repetitively to get it to heal over and watching as the slow process of scarring set in. He intermittently asked if Jack was alright, receiving a grin and a nod before he set away to focusing back on his task.

Scarification was a time consuming practice, especially with the amount of care that Aster wanted to put into _his_ mark. He straightened three hours later from Jack's chest, a weight lifting from his own as he gazed down at _his_ mark on Jack's chest. He couldn't help but feel relieved about having finally marked Jack, to finally have that visual claim on him. It felt good…secure…complete. The right side of his mouth quirked into a smile and he looked at Jack's eyes. Jack pushed up onto his elbows and gazed down at the just beginning to pink with healing, raised, scar on his chest that would take a day for the redness and welting to settle—and a good shower would get rid of the red residue leftover on Jack's chest from the bleeding, which Aster had lapped up to keep his slate as clean as possible.

"So…tattoos and scars…that a Tribe thing?" Jack asked, gently prodding the wound and wincing.

"Mmhm." Aster gently gripped Jack's hand and navigated it away from the wound. "If ya see the other Tribes ya'll see a lot of us either tattoo or scar. Fer some reason mah Tribe likes ta tattoo ourselves and scar our mates."

Jack snickered. "Fluffy bunnies like marring their mates. Sounds legit."

"Ah'm not a fluffy bunny." Bunny griped, to which Jack immediately sat forward and smirked.

He raked his hands through Bunny's fur, feeling the mixture of velvet, softness and silk of it. "I dunno 'Roo, you're pretty fluffy." Jack then yanked playfully at the tuft of hair at his chest. "Especially here."

Bunny narrowed his gaze towards Jack and leaned forward. "What'd Ah say about the Kangaroo jabs ya larrikin? Ah'm not above bitin' yer arse—literally."

Jack threw his head back and laughed, looping his arms around Aster's neck and pulling him down for a heady kiss. Jack felt Aster lean forward with a sated sigh when they broke from one another, tucking his head to the crook of Jack's neck and shoulder—nipping at the opposite side and making Jack wince. He felt Aster's tongue lick the wound again before that familiar purr of grinding teeth sounded out followed by Aster curling into Jack's side.

Jack smirked, looping his hand upward and setting away to gently petting Aster's head—scratching at the base of his ears. "We're staying in bed by the way, especially you."

"Mate, ya keep pettin' and scratchin' me like this and Ah'll be asleep in no time." As if to encourage him to do so Aster nuzzled against him, causing Jack to snicker at the tickling fur and whiskers. "Ah feel relaxed now since Ah marked ya."

"Good." Jack amended, carding his fingers through Aster's Mohawk between his ears. "Sleep well."

"Mmm." Aster murmured in response, his breathing evening out once again and his entire frame going limp with sleep.

Jack smiled towards Bunny, noticing how innocent and worry free he looked while he slept. He turned towards his warmth, curling over it and letting his own eyes droop closed followed by a heady yawn. As Jack nodded off into a nap of his own he thought about one thing: Jack needed to ask Tooth for some help with whatever was in that container the Queen had handed him.

* * *

Responses

To **storygirl99210**: Naw, he couldn't hate him for it :D.

To **yey**: Yep he finally got to mark Jack! As for Jack's past, it's coming up next. Tis the next bit of plot to cover.

To **Good Witch of Babble**: I honestly thought about making Jack have to hurt Bunny to wake him up, but then I was like...meh he's already hurt - he doesn't need _more_ injuries haha. Also yes this _does _open the door for some shenanigans between Jack and Bunny ;)

To **Shanatic**: Uh huh, sure! Communication problems (wink), now excuse me I need to go write another dirty one shot...and then another...and then I have more crap to write...F me.

To **Orion'slover**: Yep! I get yelled at by Rue (my editor) and a few other people every time I leave cliffies. I'm honestly starting to get scared every time I do it hahahaha. As for Manny's? I'm completely stuck. I don't know whether to keep going with it or trash everything...I'm honestly trying to sort it out. It's only got 600 views though so I'm not stressing about it.

To **Lady Minuialwen**: Don't fret! It worked out :D

To **Vatmiss**: I believe I figured out a way to make mpreg work in this story, and there's a legitimate reasoning behind it I just need to word it right so it makes sense to you guys...because I'm a twat.

To **Ultravioletlex**: I knew you'd squeal at that part! Hopefully this'll hold you over for the break. I thought about when I could release this and then Shanatic and Optimistic Emo Kleptomaniac got on my case about when I should release them so blame them haha.


	10. Chapter 9 - The Norm

**Disclaimer**: I don't own Rise of the Guardians.

However I do own this nifty plot and this damn world along with a few well thought out ideas!

**A/N**: Yea so this Chapter caused me to pull my hair out guys. I actually wore myself into exhaustion fixing this chapter. You had better bloody well like it or my desk and keyboard are getting fresh imprints of my face as I slam it onto them.

**Edit**: Ehhhehehehe I posted the wrong thing up. Fixed it XD XD XD I AM SO GOOD AT LIFE.

Enjoy.

* * *

Chapter 9 – The Norm

**Summary**: Life goes back to normal for Aster as he sits in on a meeting the day after returning home; hearing the update on the North's Kingdom and finding out two startling facts. Jack, on the other hand, is stuck having to deal with the aftermath of letting an injured at the time Prince Aster leave for the Western Kingdom under his watch by fulfilling various chores around the mansion as punishment. What hijinks ensue when _both_ men are relieved of their duties?

"Prince Aster it is time to get up." Pitch snapped irritably, making Aster crack an eye as Jack tensed next to him. He let loose a small warning growl, to which Pitch ignored, before he pressed on. "Aster, _up_! You have a meeting in less than an hour and Jack; _you're_ starting your day out peeling potatoes for the troops' lunch."

"Goody." Jack huffed out, burying his face into the pillow and groaning. Aster leaned forward as Jack started murmuring into the pillow: "He gets to go to a meeting and _I_ get to do chores."

A sleepy grin crossed Aster's face before he trailed his hand along Jack's side and glanced up to Pitch. "Ah'll be down in a moment."

"See that you are." Pitch turned on his heel, leaving the room with a series of grumbles about having to be a walking alarm clock of late.

"Is he always that chipper?" Jack breathed out sleepily, rolling onto his back when Aster tugged him closer.

"Mmm." Aster grunted in return, laying his head back on the pillow and still reeling from exhaustion from the past few days. "He's worse when yer in the barracks."

Jack turned his head, cocking a brow in question. "By which you mean…?"

"He scares the crap outta ya if ya don't get up." Aster cracked an eye, sighing when he saw Jack and pushing up to give him a kiss to his nose. "C'mon. We stay in bed much longer'n North'll come in and flip the mattress."

As Aster got out of bed Jack felt his eyes widen in near disbelief at that statement. He looked at Bunny as he yawned and pushed up from the bed, startled a bit when Bunny's yawn looked more rabbit than man. Jack tilted his head in curiosity about it and stayed laying somewhat propped on the pillow as he watched Bunny slowly wake up with a scratching at his furry jaw followed by a stretch that had Jack's mouth watering, the muscles beneath Bunny's fur moving enticingly. Jack glanced away, but not for long, before Bunny's form shifted to his Human shape…which was when Jack realized he'd been sleeping next to a _nude_ Bunny all night—fur covered or not. Jack's eyes caught up to his brain, the traitors dropping to Bunny's crotch before a blush raked across his cheeks followed shortly by Jack flipping quickly onto his face on the bed and burying it into the pillow.

"Jack? What's wrong?" Bunny asked, his voice holding a hint of worry. "Mate?"

"You're naked!" Jack yelled into the pillow, feeling Bunny's roughened and calloused fingers on his back as he felt Bunny lean forward.

"What? Ah can't hear ya when yer muffled by the pillow." Bunny stated from above.

Jack cracked an eye and turned his head away from the heat source that was Bunny next to him, finding it hard to breathe and the blush on his face burning with an icy heat. "I said you're naked."

"Hm?" Aster cocked a brow at Jack's statement, glancing down at himself and at first feeling a little embarrassed about forgetting to put clothes on before he cocked a smug smirk. "Well did ya like the view at least?"

Aster snorted out a laugh when Jack squeaked next to him before Aster pushed completely away from the bed and headed for the walk in closet to tug on some boxers—chuckling the entire time. He dug out spare clothes for Jack as well, going with more ratty and lose fitting ones that had seen better days, before he went back into the bedroom smiling towards a Jack whose cheeks were still frosted over in a blush. Jack's cheeks darkened again into his uniquely colored blush before Aster tossed some clothes towards him.

"Ah'll take ya ta the tailor's when we head out ta do some things around the City, a'right?" Aster asked, watching as Jack nodded—still looking flustered.

Aster smirked as he entered into the bathroom, going through his regular routine within the confines of the space before he was adjusting his cuffs and collar, knotting the golden threads at each as he gazed towards himself in the mirror with his faux hawk styled hair still in a mess from sleeping. He sent a quick glance to the left, gazing at the closed door and wondering if Jack was alright.

Yesterday, Aster had to admit, was a little foggy to him. Aside from spending the day in bed—literally _all_ day doing nothing more than just resting with Jack twitching nervously next to him and then heading home in the late evening—he hadn't spent much time really trying to focus on what was wrong with Jack. He'd known something was up, could _feel_ the tension emanating from Jack's small frame as he twitched anxiously, but he had hoped Jack would bring it up without him needing to press Jack for the information. Not to mention Jack's tension was beginning to rub off on him—the growl this morning when Pitch came to wake them up was a sure sign of that.

Aster sighed, grabbing up a brush and setting away to settling his hair and styling it appropriately instead of looking like he'd just rolled from the confines of his bed—which had been his hair style for the past few days with one last fleeting glance to his bathroom door, wondering what was wrong with his Mate.

Jack blinked towards the bathroom door before he curled his knees to himself, taking in gulping breaths of air as he settled his flustered and embarrassed self down.

He had been sleeping next to Aster…_naked_ Aster.

Jack whined out a small breath before he crawled from Bunny's nest-like bed and shuffled into the bedroom that connected to Bunny's, his hand reaching out and clasping around the roughened, aged, wood of his staff. He felt a little better holding this familiar piece of himself, in fact he clutched it to him…along with the container that was hiding inside the pile of clean and dirty clothes he held.

He hadn't decided if he wanted to tell Bunny or not about the container, managing to keep it hidden through various tricks and sleight of hand as he shuffled it to keep it from being seen. He just wasn't sure what was within the container, almost couldn't believe that it might be the cure to his amnesia. It felt _way _too easy. Jack huffed, going further into the bedroom that was supposed to be his and ignoring the fact that he was about to get dirty from chores as he ran a hot shower, keeping a tight lid on his emotions to ensure that the hot shower didn't turn into a freezing cold one—even if he _did_ like cold showers.

When he stepped from there he felt a little better, each aspect of his own morning routine giving him a little more skip to his step and curing most of the anxiety and tension that he'd been plagued with since the container had been placed in his hand. He changed into Bunny's spare clothes, taking a moment to smell them and feeling a little more tension drop from his shoulders as he smelled Bunny's wild forest laced scent that held hints of Eucalyptus, Spearmint and, surprisingly, paint. Jack lifted his nose from the edge of the shirt he smelled and cocked a brow.

Paint?

Why did _Bunny_ have _paint_ as a part of his inherent scent?

Jack shook his head, lifting his brows and stepping out into his bedroom. He propped his staff next to his bed and set the container within the confines of the nightstand for later. He turned on his heel when a knock sounded on the door that connected his bedroom to Bunny's, opening it to see Bunny on the other side looking like his proper princely self—but Jack could see the worry in those emerald eyes.

"I like the wild looking Prince better." Jack murmured trying and failing to get his fun loving self to the surface. He leaned against the door frame with a sigh as he looked up at Bunny. "So…you're dressed. Guess it's time to do chores for me!"

Aster gazed at Jack, his eyes flicking between Jack's bright blues as he felt a pang of anxiety from him. Aster somehow knew that Jack was forcing himself to act like nothing was bothering him. Aster could see it. Jack was feigning every smile, every joke—but at least it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been earlier this morning. Some of that edge from this morning was alleviated…but it was still there and it still made Aster worry.

"Are ya goin' ta tell me what's wrong?" Aster asked in a hushed tone.

Jack shrugged a shoulder. "Don't know what you're talking about," Aster's heart dipped when Jack replied with that followed by Aster then having to watch as Jack grinned mirthfully; "Unless of course you're counting the fact that I'm going to be doing chores while _you_ get to sit and twiddle your thumbs in a meeting."

Aster smirked, knowing Jack was avoiding the subject by teasing him, but going along with it anyways. "Oh aye, nothin' better than sittin' in a meetin' with a bunch of old blokes who keep askin' ya when ya plan ta marry one of their daughters."

Jack frowned, crossing his arms and cocking a brow. Aster watched as _jealousy_ of all emotions crossed into Jack's features. "You're going to put a stop to that right? Else I'll need to go out tonight and freeze a few women's hair to their pillows while they sleep. I did _not_ get scarred and bit by you for _nothing_."

Aster snorted out a light laugh, nodding. "Ah'll put a stop ta it, but only when yer there so there's no doubt." Aster lifted his hand and gave Jack's shoulder a light squeeze, _wanting_ to lay a light kiss on Jack's lips but deciding not to push him due to the tension and anxious energy he was ebbing. "Ah'll see ya in a couple hours, a'right?"

Jack nodded and Aster stepped back and through to his room. He straightened his shoulders as he walked out into the hallway and stepped down towards the meeting room, halting briefly to gaze at the large map of the Kingdoms. He stared at the Western Kingdom, noting how it extended out into the Ocean from the edge of the continent that held the ground Kingdom. Within the large expanse of Ocean were small dots of islands, which marked where the floating islands were that housed Queen Bloodfeather's Castles.

Aster sighed, already missing being aloof for awhile with someone who had actually _wanted_ to be there. It had been _fun_. The entire trip had been complete and utter _fun_, which was why Aster was dreading heading back into his Princely duties for the umpteenth time in his life yet again after having tasted the freedom that he'd known as a child.

He'd honestly forgotten how much he missed that freedom—and how hard it was to go back to acting tame.

Aster sighed, shaking his head and heading for the meeting that seemed so...boring. They were droll, necessary, but droll. There wasn't _anything_ fun about sitting in a meeting room discussing economics, the state of the City, a war that had felt like a heavy cloud over their shoulders for years now and being pressed for answers to questions he wasn't quite ready to give the answers too yet. Not without Jack being there, that is. Aster was ripped from his thoughts when he was grabbed up into a bear hug by North before he was put back onto his feet and practically shoved into the meeting room. Aster set away to shaking hands and greeting each member there, accepting their wishes for continued health before taking his seat next to North and forcing himself to focus in on what was being discussed in front of him, wondering just what Jack was going to do for chores today.

As it was Jack padded out into the kitchen with a heavy sigh, rolling his eyes when he came across Pitch who stood in the center of the kitchen with a _literal_ wooden bucket, a hand peeler and a sack of potatoes by his feet. Jack raised a dubious brow until Pitch pushed the peeler into his grasp followed quickly by a potato. Jack huffed in irritation when Pitch pointed to the stool in the center of the kitchen and sent a commanding gaze to Jack.

"Sit. Peel that entire sack and then you can go out after and sweep the dining room floor followed by polishing the dining room table." Pitch told him with a no-nonsense attitude.

Jack frowned. "Tell me, why do _I_ have to peel potatoes, sweep the floor of the dining room _and_ wipe down the dining room table today when it was _Bunny's_ idea to leave? Why can't _I _go to the meeting and _Bunny_ scrub the floor?"

Pitch rolled his eyes, letting out a sharp snort. "Because _you_ are the one who went along with it and _you_ were supposed to be the one taking care of Prince Aster at the time—not encouraging him." Pitch settled his hands behind his back, looking down his nose at Jack with an air of superiority. "_And_ Prince Aster will be facing his own punishment soon enough."

Jack frowned. "I _still_ don't see why I have to do all this work. I mean technically I _was_ taking care of him by not letting him go off on his own…"

Jack hunched down and gave Pitch an innocent smirk when he turned that piercing gaze of his towards him, which caused Jack to snigger between his teeth and set away to peeling the potato in his hand—deciding that maybe he should drop it. Jack sat there peeling, beginning to get annoyed with Pitch as he loomed in the Kitchen's doorway. Jack tossed the peeled potato into the bucket with a resounding 'thunk' before he saw Pitch's form turning to leave. Jack smirked, leaning to the right and tapping an index finger onto the kitchen's floor and shooting a sheen of ice under Pitch's foot after he had made sure Jack was working—by watching him literally peel an entire potato. Jack sniggered when Pitch's foot slipped followed by his form staggering slightly as his hand shot out onto the door frame to grip it, sending a quick glare over to Jack before he left.

Jack frowned, beginning the peeling of potato number two. He didn't mind the brainless punishment, to be honest—especially after the past two days _he_ had. Dealing with an injured Bunny who wouldn't _stop_ hurting himself by ignoring his body's need to heal _naturally_ over forcing it to heal had been draining for Jack. Not only that, but the entire trip in its entirety had been especially draining on Bunny to the point where his _other_ half had decided to take the opportunity to step forward. Jack rolled his eyes. Now _that_ had been fun. Dealing with Bunny's other half had been a trick, but Jack thanked his lucky stars that Bunny had woken up in time before anything truly scarring—_ha_—could take place.

Jack tossed the second potato into the wooden bucket, grabbing up another and turning it in his hand before he set away to peeling it as well. It was nice to work in the quite of the kitchen, it allowed him to think—at least until he heard the clattering of silverware followed by the soft murmuring of feminine voices that were _all_ too familiar. Jack tilted his head when he heard those two maids again. Jack stood from the stool, leaning against the wall just beyond their vision as they sat at the dinner table polishing the silverware.

"Heard Prince Aster mutilated that _man_ he's chasing around." The older of the two said.

"Figures." The younger one rolled her eyes. Jack then watched as the younger one leaned forward with a smirk. "It's a shame too, that guy was easy on the eyes with his boyish looks and odd coloring. I'd never seen someone like that before."

The older woman scoffed and rolled her eyes. "I always knew the Prince was a beast. As for your obsession with the—_Southern_ inhabitant that Prince Aster just mutilated? I highly suggest you bury that—_deep_. I have a feeling whatever Prince Aster did to that young man is only the tip of the ice berg. If he finds out you're interested he'll most likely tear you to shreds with those claws of his."

The younger woman rolled her eyes. "I'm not saying I'm obsessed. I _am_ saying that I wouldn't have minded a night in bed with that pretty boy." Then she jabbed a cloth towards the older woman. Also of course that beast would tear to me shreds if I showed even the hinting of interest." She set away to polishing again and before Jack could turn back to the kitchen—disgusted with these particular women—he heard: "I'm suddenly very glad I kicked Prince Aster out when I did, otherwise I might've suffered the same fate as that pretty boy."

Jack narrowed his eyes. Jack was well aware that Bunny apparently had a reputation for sleeping around, and to be honest he wasn't too distraught over that bit of information either. Nor had he been upset when he had known that Bunny had apparently slept with the younger maid—especially since at the time he didn't have any claim to Bunny.

However, what absolutely infuriated him was the woman's degrading and disgusted tone. How _could_ she throw Bunny from her bed?! Jack didn't _think_ Bunny would hurt someone, also didn't think he was a bad lover either—course he didn't know that yet—so _why_ did this maid done that? Was she letting her fear of him get in the way? Or had he done something odd that had put her off? Jack stood there for a moment, hearing the two women continue their chatter and bringing about some of the odd things Bunny tended to do in bed.

Well…he nuzzled everything. Tended to heartily sniff everything—even in his Human form—with that twitching pink nose of his. He'd licked—groomed?—Jack at least three times before but never strayed beyond his face. Then there was his tendency to growl when agitated, Jack had recently heard him make some sort of honking snort noise of surprise and then there was also the purring—which in all honesty calmed Jack's nerves and made him relax.

Were _those_ the things that the maid had found odd about Bunny, odd enough to throw him from her bed? Jack shrugged his shoulders. Sure they were odd quirks, behavior that wasn't quite normal, but Jack _liked_ that about Bunny. It gave the stiff Prince a soft side—even if he did growl angrily at Jack when he brought it up or teased him about it.

Jack snorted out his own hot breath of air from his nostrils, continuously hearing the two women chatter as he peeled potatoes and having had enough of these two halfway through the bag. He couldn't believe how much he hated these two, and he'd only came across them _once_ before. It also _might_ have had everything to do with the fact that he just wasn't going to put up with anything more this week…at least that's what he planned and he _hoped_ it stayed that way.

Jack sat the potato he was currently working on down onto the counter, along with the peeler, and gathered his hands together. He closed his eyes, focusing on sending his cold elemental magic into the space between his palms where he felt the sure shavings of ice form. When he felt like he had a good enough chunk of snow he packed it tightly together and sat it down next to the potato and repeated the process until he had six snowballs waiting for him. Jack hefted two up into his hands and turned the corner.

"Excuse me, but I believe I'm _fine_. In fact I'm more than fine physically." Jack turned in a quick circle to show the two maids this fact and when he faced them again he found them both wearing frowns on their faces. "Now, if you don't mind, I'd like to serve out my punishment without you two dumb bimbo's gossiping about me and _my_ Mate."

With that Jack lifted his arm and tossed the snowball, hitting the older of the two women dead on, right in the center of her face. He watched as she sputtered for a moment before he tossed the second in quick succession—hitting the younger woman on the side of the head and enjoying seeing a tuft of snow stuck to her hair as her maid hat fell forward and off her head as she shot to her feet. Jack leaned back around the wall, grabbed up another two snowballs and let them loose—chasing the women from the dining room as he threw the chain of snowballs at the two women until they turned the corner yelling curses and swears behind them in their wake as they distanced themselves from the dining room.

Jack nodded to himself in triumph, feeling as if that was only the _beginning_ of the hell he was going to bring to those two in particular as he frowned towards where they had ran from the area. Jack spun on his heel, content to return to his mindless task where he could think in _quiet_. Jack grabbed up the previously discarded potato, then the peeler and sat down again. He chewed on his lower lip, peeling and thinking about _his_ problems instead of reminiscing on Aster's.

In the meeting room Aster rubbed his forehead, gazing at the papers in front of him and feeling ill. They were going to war with the Southern Kingdom…Jack would _not_ be happy about this—at _all_. Aster had tried everything to dissuade the other Council members from acting too hastily in this regard. He'd argued every point they made, but apparently they weren't pleased with the recent attempt on his life, 'beast' of the Kingdom or not, and they especially hadn't taken it well when they heard the news that a band of ruffians had managed to cross the border.

What made it worse? That particular band of Southern Kingdom inhabitants seemed to be heading _here_, to the Northern Kingdom—whereabouts having been lost halfway through their trek through the Tribelands the night Aster had headed to the Western Kingdom. Aster's leg twitched below the table, bouncing up and down in irritation as he glanced over to North who kept sending him sympathetic looks. North was getting near desperate in trying his best to mitigate the meeting and act as the Crystal appointed King. It was a difficult task while trying to keep his Council from attacking each other.

He did _not_ need to return to the Northern Kingdom in time to hear they were going to war with the very Kingdom his Mate was from. Of course he also didn't need to hear the next bit as well.

"What of the assassin's whereabouts?" Pitch asked suddenly, making a few of the Council members jump, startling them into realizing that Pitch had—at some point—slithered into the meeting like a shadow. Aster glanced to Pitch, noticing the worried glint to his eyes when it was directed towards him. "Prince Aster's life is at stake as long as that assassin is at large. Do we have _anything_ on him?"

The Council shook their heads, Sheriff Hood clearing his throat. "General Pitch, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there hasn't been a sign of him since the attack."

"What of the Tribe—"

"He's still with Queen Bloodfeather." Aster interjected, slicing his hand through the air. "When Ah spoke with her she said he'll be released when his Tribe retrieves him—which won't be anytime soon, Ah can guarantee it. She put a hefty price on his head and asked for equal compensation for his release."

"Aster these are desperate times, your Tribe—"

"—Are going ta stick ta their traditions with unwavering loyalty." Aster cut in, glaring towards Pitch. "Ta fail in battle is ta be shunned—and tacking onto that compensation that is equal to or greater than his value assures that he won't be out anytime soon. That bloke isn't getting' outta that bloody Prison till he dies."

Pitch didn't look convinced, but thankfully the meeting didn't last much longer—else Aster might have actually pulled his hair out. It was always hard for him to go from the freedom that went along with adventure and switching back to his normal Princely self where he had to be stoic and proper. North said a few more words, asking for Sheriff Hood to add a few more guards during the day and tripling their numbers during the night around the borders, wanting to protect the people of the City first.

Aster nearly let out a long suffering groan when, once again, he was asked a question pertaining to his bachelor status. Aster wanted to roll his eyes but kept from doing so. Luckily North once again stepped in, quelling their worries by informing them that Aster had began courting someone who, once they became available, would be joining them in these meetings within a short period of time.

Aster sent North a thankful look, who simply smiled and nodded before they all stood. Hands were shook once again, each Council member halting for a brief moment to say one last word to both North and Aster before they stepped past. Aster sighed in relief when Manny stepped forward, smirking.

"Good day King North, Prince Aster." Manny said, taking both hands and giving a slight bow. "I shall see you both again soon."

They nodded, North motioning for Aster to leave the meeting room first. Aster nodded, stepping past North and feeling a pressing need to find his Mate. He turned his head to the right and left, tilting his Human ears as best as he could before he heard Jack griping to Pitch in a heated and agitated tone about something. Aster stepped towards the dining room, halting just outside the door and peering around the corner watching Jack.

"I mean seriously, can those two _talk_ anymore shit if they tried?" Jack huffed, unaware that Bunny stood just beyond the door as he wiped at the dining room table with jerky, anger influenced, circular motions that Pitch had immediately corrected the second he saw Jack lazily wiping up and down. "Seriously, can I just throw things at them twenty four seven? I'd love it if I had a supply of kitchen sinks for just them—and a catapult to fire the sinks towards them with."

Jack glanced up to see a light smile adorning Pitch's face before it was wiped away, his head turning to the right and directing Jack's gaze that way. Jack's sour mood brightened as he saw Bunny step into the dining room, but it wasn't long before he sensed that something had came up.

Jack looked at Bunny's tense shoulders, how he kept his back especially straight and he noted there was a small amount of strain to the edges of Bunny's eyes. Jack tilted his head, his eyes dropping to Bunny's clenched hands before he straightened when he saw Pitch move in his peripheral vision. Jack glanced that way, seeing Pitch waving his hand in the air between them and wordlessly telling Jack to cease his punishment for _Bunny's_ indiscretion and excusing him.

"That is all today Jack." Pitch said. "I believe Prince Aster would like to take you to the tailor's for some clothes after attending the Springtime Wine Festival?"

Jack nodded. "But what about—"

Pitch waved a hand in the air again. "I will extend their punishment another week, and if they persist then they will find themselves working as trash maidens in the streets."

Jack nodded, content with that answer and tossing the cloth he'd been using to wipe the table down onto it without a further care. He then sighed, turning to Aster and stepping towards him—surprised at how natural it felt to walk into Aster's waiting arms and how _nice_ it felt to feel those strong limbs embrace him tightly. He sighed, relaxing into Aster's strong embrace.

"Rough day?" Aster asked, setting his chin on Jack's head as Jack laid his temple on his shoulder.

"You could say that." Jack sighed out again. "Could really use some fun today."

Aster grinned at hearing that, giving Jack's back a light rubbing and taking a step back. "C'mon then. Ah'm sure Ah haven't shown ya some of the City yet and Ah know that ya haven't explored it yet."

"How the heck do you know that?" Jack asked, leaning back and looking Aster in the eyes.

"Well fer one ya wouldn't have been as dirty as ya were when Ah first ran into ya. Someone would've taken ya in and given ya a fresh pair of clothes." Aster stated, taking Jack's hand and leading him towards the doors. "Ah've got a few events ta show up at, but it shouldn't be too long before Ah can show ya 'round."

"Awesome." Jack followed after, giving Aster's hand a squeeze and climbing into a horse drawn carriage. It wasn't long before Jack was staring out at the crowd of people from behind a curtain. "So you have to go out there and sprout utter bullshit before these people do…er…what is this?"

Aster laughed. "It's not bullshit, mate. It's the Kingdom's slogan followed up by some courteous words, followed by the blessing of the crown. Also, its _wine_ making—a hell of an event. Actually Ah think ya might enjoy crushin' some grapes with yer feet—and it's a tradition 'ere in the Kingdom every Spring."

Jack opened his mouth to admit that, yes it would be fun, but he didn't get it out before Aster planted a kiss to his lips. Jack froze briefly in surprise before Aster stepped back, smirking cockily towards him and Jack swore he saw Bunny's ego grow three sizes as he stepped out onto the platform to deliver whatever he had too. Jack peered back around the corner of the curtain, eyes wide as he watched the crowd go from quiet excitement to outright cheering—the first people up the ladders climbing into the large wooden tubs filled with grapes and setting away to squishing them earnestly with their feet when Bunny had given them an enthusiastic farewell. Jack's eyes widened and he turned a pleading gaze to Bunny.

"G'won." Bunny nudged Jack, yelping when Jack gripped his arm and pulled him along. "Jack, mate Ah've done this before. Ah don't need ta participate."

"Oh shut up Aster and have a little _fun_." Jack purposely stepped behind Bunny, stepping on the backs of his polished black shoes and making him stumble from them before he repeated the process with his socks. "Now c'mon, ten gold coins say I can squish my half of grapes faster than yours."

"Yer on." Bunny shot back, climbing into the wooden tub and setting away to pressing the grapes down flat—laughing the entire time as Jack egged him on with countless playful insults, grinning the entire time.

It wasn't long before they stopped at the tailor's, Aster having been watching his back the entire time since he had stepped out from the Castle's walls. He hadn't said anything to Jack, but _someone_ was following them. He hadn't managed to catch anything more than a shadow, or a glimpse of the figure out of his peripheral vision, but he knew when they left the tailor's he was going to take a detour to the Castle in order to try and lure out whoever was following him—and he _knew_ it was following him this time and not Jack.

How?

Aster had decided to test the theory by sending Jack inside of a store and stepping away for a brief moment for a quick walk around the corner, being followed the entire way. Aster could barely make out the very light scuffing of shoes, _barely_ picking up the sound by his keener than most Human ears. If he had been in his Pooka warrior shape then he would have been able to easily pinpoint where the person was and strike—and he had considered it multiple times now. But, he also didn't want to stall out Jack getting clothes anymore either.

So, he had pushed it aside for the time being. He was watching his back carefully, unwilling to sound off any alarms until necessary. As it was he felt secure enough within the fitting room of the tailor's, watching as Jack and Mick talked and joked with one another.

Aster had always liked Mick, one of the few people in the City who knew what he was but didn't let that pull of veil over his eyes. In fact Mick had taken pride in fitting Aster's Pooka form for clothes, having some fun in playing with styles and making Aster feel a little more at home. It was why Aster had asked specifically for Mick. He knew Jack would get on great with him.

"What do you think?" Jack asked, drawing Aster's gaze to him and away from his thoughts.

Aster straightened in his seat, blinking at the sight in front of him. Jack wore a pale blue tunic top with silver knotted ties at his cuffs and collar. The embroidery work was elegant at the collar and cuffs, looking everything like the frost fern pattern that Jack had shown to the tailor on the mirror not moments ago as they put their heads together to come up with a pleasing medium for both parties that would still look royal and regal. Aster felt his throat go dry as he took in how well that top fit Jack's slight frame, letting his eyes roam downward along a pair of white, pressed, pants that had—of all things—a splattering of a fading icy blue shade at the ends that gave the pants a unique look that just seemed to _fit_. Aster then shook his head, clearing his throat when he took in Jack's bare feet.

"Still not goin' ta wear shoes?" He asked, standing when the tailor excused himself to go get Jack's other clothes that he had fitted over the course of the past three hours.

"Nope." Jack turned, glancing at himself in the three way mirror and frowning. "I dunno…it doesn't look like it fits my personality."

Aster stepped up behind Jack, setting his hands on Jack's shoulders and giving them a light squeeze before he patted down the tunic's top. He squeezed his hands on Jack's frame intermittently, letting his eyes roam over Jack's form in the mirror while he adjusted Jack's top and allowed himself a moment of soothing touches to his slight frame. Aster sucked in a sharp breath; looping his arms around Jack's chest and tugging him flush against his front.

"Ah think it looks perfect on ya." Aster murmured, meeting Jack's gaze in the mirror and feeling Jack shiver as he grazed Jack's ear with his nose. He leaned forward, taking a few whiffs of Jack and letting loose a light growl as he smelled the sure scent of arousal. "Better knock that off, Mate."

"Then you better stop being Mr. Heated gaze in the mirror." Jack shot back, his voice quivering and breathy. "Not to mention feeling me up just moments ago."

The corner of Aster's lip quirked into a quick smirk before he—_forced_—himself to take a step back. "Ready ta head back ta the Castle?"

"Yep." Jack stated, stepping down from the platform that held the three way mirror and taking the clothes the tailor handed him.

"Ta Mick." Aster nodded to the tailor when he handed the clothes over. "Yer a life saver."

"Have North or your mother drop by to pay off the bill." Mick replied with a yawn. "Have a good night Prince Aster, Jack."

"Bye Mick." Jack said, having struck up an odd friendship with the man over the course of the past three hours.

Aster led Jack from the tailor's, glancing in the windows of every home and shop they passed on their detoured route to the Castle. Aster kept his hand planted firmly to Jack's back, right between the shoulder blades, urging him forward. Jack, in the mean time, chattered away about how nice Mick was and how much fun it was to take part in one of the small festivals that Aster's home held every year. Aster nodded, giving sharp grunts as responses before he had his fill of whoever was following them.

"Jack, keep talking but listen." Aster murmured, watching the windows and seeing the form following them, listening to Jack as he continued to chatter even though his blue eyes had widened.

Jack glanced over to him, nodding while looking as if he had just said something that required the motion. Aster smirked at Jack. His Mate was _surprisingly_ good at acting like nothing was wrong.

"There's a bloke followin' us. Ta mah right but Ah don't have any way ta hit 'im without my rangs, which Ah left at home—an Ah tried luring him out earlier ta no avail. Think ya can hit 'im?" Aster murmured.

"Oh yea I can definitely do that next week, here hold these for a moment so I can—" The second Jack handed over the clothes from the tailor he turned sharply and let loose a sharply edged icicle.

Aster turned, watching it snap through the air and hearing a grunt and the sure tearing of cloth. They both rushed towards the alley that it sounded out from, stepping around the corner to see nothing more than a tattered piece of cloth on the ground by Jack's sharp icicle. Aster handed the clothes back to Jack with a sharp head nod of approval before he knelt and picked up the icicle from the ground. He lifted up the tattered bit of cloth, seeing a glittering pile of blood on the cobblestone and swiped it up with the cloth. He straightened, catching a whiff of a scent similar to his and feeling that sure cold sweat break out across his body when he knew what that smell meant.

But he wanted to get them both home first before anybody went chasing after whoever had been stalking him all day.

"Let's get back ta the castle. We can let Pitch know ta up the guards tonight." Aster told Jack, leading him from the alley.

Jack glanced up to Bunny, noticing the worry that now sat on those expressive brows of his. He wondered if Aster was going to tell him who that man was before they were inside the Castle and being ferried about by Pitch, North and then Bunny was dragging Jack through the Castle to Jack's bedroom with the clothes in tow.

Jack had pressed Bunny for answers only to get quick, vague, responses before he was charging from the room looking like a man on a mission. Jack had tried to track him down, tried to get Aster to let him tag along when he had found him only for the two to have a small fight as Bunny yelled for Jack to stay put. Jack couldn't believe, after everything they'd already been through, that Bunny wouldn't let him help. It made him so infuriated that he ignored his bedroom door when it was knocked on, ignored Bunny's muted apology from the other side. It was also the first night since Jack had arrived in the Kingdom where he had slept in his designated bed…alone to boot too because he was furious with Aster for refusing to let him tag along.

When Jack woke up the next morning he peeked into Aster's room to see him asleep on his bed, his normally serene face looking strained with a frown adorning his brows. Jack closed the door, glancing to the nightstand and deciding now was a better time than later when it came to the contents within that container.

After all, if _Bunny_ could refuse to let him help with something then Jack could refuse to let Bunny help as well.

* * *

Responses:

**Ultravioletlex**: Oh gods you're going to kill me after the above...don't kill the author! They'll fix themselves...hopefully in the way I want, but neither of these two characters are really doing what I want them too at the moment haha. I had planned on smutty goodness in the above chapter, but they didn't do it so I just threw my hands up into the air and sighed.

**yay**: I'm getting there within the next...er...1 or 2 Chapters, along with finally touching upon something Good Witch of Babble requested for in this story :) Also yea, Aster is kinda glad to finally have Jack. As I get further into the story I'll bring in some of the other aspects of that bond.

**Shanatic**: Have you got some kinks you've neglected to tell me about? Shanatic how could you D: Der Humpkin!

**Good Witch of Babble**: Okay so next chapter is when the _real_ shenanigans happens. I wanted it in the above Chapter, but it didn't pan out that way. Uhhh I'm hoping next chapter will be good enough for Jack's past. I haven't decided if I'm purely making it Jack POV or if I'm going to make it broken bits...I'll see where the writer takes me on that one. My writer usually has good ideas.

**Sticksandstones**: You know I used to play WoW, but when I was writing that I was thinking more of Archer and just blimps in general XD Well the good thing is I'm already thinking about the next Chapter for this story, and I'm slowly chipping away at Painting Myths and Flowers of Hope, but at the moment I'm sorely focused on getting my Young North RP blog going because damn, that's gonna be fun.

**Lady Minuialwen**: I'll take it you like it? (waggles brows)

**Mox**: Bark? Purr? Dem nippers are some good reading mats. I plan on more sword fighting for Tooth, she'll have something interesting here pretty soon.

**storygirl99210**: Thankyouness!

**Rychan6**: I'm sorry do you want me to not do fluff anymore? D:

**echoesofthebadwolf**: It's a year's worth of work, along with Manny's. Thank you for your reviews of late dear ^_^


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